Browns Ferry may
be tempting target
Analyst says nuclear plant more
likely than NASA or Redstone
By Clay Redden
DAILY Staff Writer
credden@decaturdaily.com MONTGOMERY -- A senior analyst for a Washington think tank says the Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant is a more tempting target for terrorists than Redstone Arsenal or the Marshall Space Flight Center. U.S. Rep. Bud Cramer, D-Huntsville, said last week that Browns Ferry and Redstone Arsenal put the Huntsville-Decatur area at a higher risk than other parts of the state. Chris Hellman of the Center for Defense Information, a nonpartisan, nonprofit independent research organization, said there's been much speculation about what targets would be likely ones if another attack or wave of attacks occurs. "It's only reasonable to assume that if I were a terrorist there would be several places I would be looking at, and nuclear power plants would be one of them," he said. Hellman said, however, that nuclear plants in densely populated areas pose more tempting targets. According to the Center for Defense Information, several factors are used when terrorists target their attacks: A high degree of surprise causing panic and paralysis.Drama of the attack causing awe and fixation.Availability of media to publicize the attack.Magnitude of the attack causing inflation of the terrorists' power.The ability to repeat the attacks causing endemic insecurity.Hellman said that increased security at U.S. military bases -- such as Redstone -- has made them difficult targets to hit. As for attacking Marshall, he said terrorists would draw more attention if they tried to attack a space shuttle sitting on the launch pad in Florida. While those are the likely considerations, Hellman said terrorists might move away from attacking symbolic high profile targets and decide to strike at what he calls "Anywhere USA." "Uncertainty is one of the things that terrorists are attempting to generate," said Hellman. Until Sept. 11, combating terrorism wasn't at the forefront of government action and, to a greater degree, the public mind. The center's Web site said the reason for that is simple. It's a matter of numbers. Between 1995 and 2000 only 77 U.S. citizens were killed by international terrorism. There were 10 deaths in 1995; 25 in 1996; six in 1997; 12 in 1998; five in 1999, and 19 in 2000. That changed with the Sept. 11 attacks. It appears the death toll from the Trade Center and Pentagon attacks along with airline hijackings associated with them will be more than 6,000. Lee Helms, acting director of the Alabama Emergency Management Agency, said that his department has received funding for several years to develop a terrorism preparedness plan for the state. Helms said funds from Federal Emergency Management Ag-ency, Department of Justice and Department of Defense have paid for training, equipment and planning. "We've done some pretty extensive terrorism planning and we've got a plan of action," said Helms. "We're at the point where we have trained and recruited regional team members who can be mobilized and sent to the scene or used in the preparedness arena if we receive a credible threat." Helms declined to provide details of the state's terrorism planning but said, "We're as prepared as you can be." There are ways for area citizens to prepare if terrorists strike at food shipments and water supplies, which are also considered likely targets. "It's basically common sense and thinking about situations," said Eddie Hicks, director of the Morgan County Emergency Management Agency. Preparing for threat Hicks said households can prepare for a terrorist threat much as they would for severe weather such as a winter storm. At a minimum, keep at least a two-week supply of non-perishable food items in the house as well as a two-week supply of water. There should be one gallon of water per person, per day. Hicks said his office has a booklet available that has detailed preparedness measures the public can take. |