Tourism promoters lobby against drill - News

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Nov. 20, 2009
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Tourism promoters lobby against drill

By ALAN MAIMON
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

No nukes, real or otherwise, would be great news to Sen. Harry Reid and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.

Reid and the LVCVA are both urging the Department of Homeland Security to ditch plans to stage a mock nuclear explosion in Clark County in May.

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On Thursday, the Senate majority leader objected to the exercise in a letter to DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano.

"I am deeply sympathetic to the need of our first responders to conduct preparedness training, and I look forward to revisiting this issue when Nevada's economy has improved," Reid wrote. "However, at this time, economic recovery efforts would be stymied, or reversed entirely, by artificially creating anxiety surrounding tourism and investment in Las Vegas."

In a similar letter Wednesday to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, LVCVA President and Chief Operating Officer Rossi Ralenkotter also blasted the blast exercise.

"Our destination already receives a disproportionate amount of attention when the Department of Homeland Security releases even the most routine bulletin," Ralenkotter wrote. "This exercise has the potential to escalate that attention and potentially harm our economy."

The LVCVA first raised concerns about the exercise at a September meeting with event organizers.

FEMA spokesman Clark Stevens said his agency will solicit feedback from all sides as it works out the details of the 2010 National Level Exercise.

"We will continue to reach out to key stakeholders, including state and local officials, to receive their input, as we prepare for and continue to develop this important event," Stevens said in an e-mail.

Organizers of the exercise met Thursday in Las Vegas to further plan the annual FEMA drill. The exercise, which is scheduled for May 17 to 21, will be the first set in Las Vegas. It has been in the works since late last year.

Nearly 10,000 local, state, and federal officials are expected to be in Clark County for the exercise. Another 15,000 are set to take part in other parts of the country.

Though no explosive devices will actually be detonated, Ralenkotter said, the premise of a mock nuclear attack in Las Vegas is troubling.

In the letter to FEMA's regional office in Oakland, Calif., he asked the agency, which is part of DHS, to consider "a non-nuclear scenario" for the exercise. He also requested that the simulation not be associated with the resort corridor.

It appears critics of the exercise have already won that concession.

The mock blast, according to homeland security officials, will not take place near the Strip, as originally planned. Instead it will be at Sunset Park near Sunset Road and Eastern Avenue.

"They've made half a step," LVCVA spokesman Vince Alberta said. "We're asking them to take a full step."

Alberta said a host of local business interests have also contacted FEMA with apprehensions about the exercise.

Homeland security officials say the Las Vegas drill centers on the aftermath of the hypothetical detonation of a 4.5-kiloton nuclear device, a blast equivalent to 4,500 tons of TNT. For comparison, in 1988, the deadly explosion in Henderson at Pacific Engineering and Production Co. generated a one-kiloton blast.

The emergency teams taking part in the exercise will set up at and around Sam Boyd Stadium. The "death toll" in the exercise will be about 6,000. Another 2,000 "victims" will need medical care.

The drill also involves the thwarting of a second attack in Los Angeles.

Citing a pattern of attacks at hotels around the world, anti-terrorism officials have said Las Vegas would make an attractive target for real terrorists.

A 2007 report by the Rand Corporation, a government-funded think tank, examined the consequences of an attack in Las Vegas. The report said a 5-kiloton nuclear bomb would cause about $50 billion worth of damage in Clark County, more than five times what the county's gross gaming revenue totaled in 2005.

The attention Las Vegas gets when terrorism warnings are issued, coupled with a struggling local economy, have business leaders "scratching their heads" over the drill, Alberta said.

"We just don't know if this makes sense right now," he said. "We want them to have an exercise. We're just asking them to change how they do it."

Contact reporter Alan Maimon at amaimon@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0404.

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Please enter your name Name: Please enter your email Email: Please enter a comment COMMENTS : (word count limit is 300) You have reached the maximum number of words allowed Current Word Count: Note: Comments made by reporters and editors of the Las Vegas Review-Journal are presented with a yellow background. Joe Bama wrote on November 21, 2009 01:57 AM: They probably figure a 5 kiloton nuclear device would dig a big enough hole for the foundation of another city center. buffy wrote on November 20, 2009 06:09 PM: Reid, Ralenkotter, Reid, Alberta, et al, say they're "deeply sympathetic to the need" for the training," but think our safety can wait and fear that preparing ourselves will create "anxiety surrounding tourism and investment n Las Vegas." 1. Nothing could possibly create anxiety about Nevada tourism and investment more than hearing that (a) we don't care about anyone's safety and (b) the State of Nevada is so near collapse that a simple training exercise will be our final doom. 2. And when the economy does improve? Mark these words: "This is the wrong time. Just when our economy is showing strength, we don't want to nip it in the bud." What a bunch of selfish, wimpy junior-mafia crackpots we have running this place! Justin wrote on November 20, 2009 03:41 PM: How ironic that a suspicous package has shut down the strip.... I wonder how much damage this real incident will do as opposed to a planned and publicized drill... Thankfully this package is not the real thing since we have not run a major drill to see what kinks may be in the system. Look at all the lessons first responders learned on 9/11... unfortunately the lesson cost the lives of many first responders that could have otherwise been saved had New York known how faulty the communication between all the agencies was. Rodman wrote on November 20, 2009 03:25 PM: I wonder if reid and the LVCVA remembers the MGM Grand fire; and, while LV had a good fire dept they were very unprepared for a disaster of that magnitude. If I were a tourist I would not object to this drill, in fact I would even participate if allowed. Seems to me it would be reasuring to both tourists and locals to know that LV, which is on the bottom of every poor performance list in the country, has finally come out and become prepared and knowledgeable about something even though we all hope that something never happends. AdoreInVegas wrote on November 20, 2009 02:23 PM: Hospital employees have been instructed to provide accurate contact information for this drill in May. We are expected to drop everything, bring in our kids and plan to stay for a night or two, or three. My initial plan was to make sure to NOT answer my phone at all during the drill. I won't get paid to come in for this drill and "spend the night" for the drill. Sounds, selfish, but it's how I feel. ON THE OTHER HAND, yes, we DESEPERATELY need to be prepared to handle a disaster here. We are grossly and embarrassingly UNPREPARED for any type of major catastrophe in this city. A drill of this type is sorely needed not only for the preparation factor but also for the REALITY factor - an exercise that will reveal how UNDER prepared we are. Mike wrote on November 20, 2009 11:58 AM: Hmmmm, sounds like a bunch of people will be coming to town to to spend money... Yet again Harry Reid comes down on the side of hurting our economy... Steve wrote on November 20, 2009 08:48 AM: hunh Using your reasoning, we should tell COMDEX and the multitude of other groups that come here to stay away, you don't want to be inconvenienced by the additional traffic. I bet your "local businesses" can't wait to sell lunch to these guys. DMCVegas wrote on November 20, 2009 08:41 AM: This is monumentally stupid!!!!! First, we need practice in case of a real emergency. Second, if tourism is down, now is the perfect time to conduct this drill! Less people will be affected, and will see it. Third, the highest casualties are not going to be at Sunset Park. They're going to be on the Strip where, DUH!, everyone is! What are they afraid of? That terrorists are going to attack the Renaissance Faire?!? Those people already have swords and catapults. They're pretty well taken care of. News Flash! Las Vegas keeps getting mentioned in so many DHS bulletins because we ARE in fact a target of terrorism. Both for what we promote, and the fact that we are a transportation hub for both highway and rail, not to mention our strategic military installations. Wake up, morons! God forbid there ever is a disaster of any kind here in Las Vegas. But if there is, every single person who opposes this should be put on trial for murder for jeopardizing the safety of American Citizens, and any Foreign Citizens as well that get caught up in such a disaster while visiting. Man made, accidental, or act of mother nature, hold them accountable! HARRY REID IS A "JOKE" wrote on November 20, 2009 07:59 AM: Not sure how much more Harry Reid can hurt Nevada. This clown is absolutely "HORRIBLE". Harry is so far out of touch with the people of Nevada and the rest of the country, he "JUST DOESN'T SEE THE FOREST THRU THE TREES". Past time for Harry to rap it up and go fishing. He can take his (wants to be Governor???) son Rory with him. guns4hire wrote on November 20, 2009 07:56 AM: the gubberment can't even keep Al Kaida out the of Army - how do you expect them to keep the terrorists out of Las Vegas? Get Harry Reid out of Nevada- Sober up Oscar Goodman - just another drunk wandering around the downtown area Las Vegas does not need government Read All Comments