NEWS: Washington To Test Evacuation On July 4, page 1

posted on Jul, 3 2005 @ 04:11 PM

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An evacuation drill planned for Washington on the 4th. Officials will use their laptops, hmmm. Bon chance!
Kind of reminds me on a certain "emergency drill" staged on September 11, 2001, target at the time was the Pentagon.

www.sciencedaily.com
Washington To Test Evacuation On July 4
WASHINGTON, July 2 (UPI) -- Officials in Washington, D.C., plan to use the July Fourth crowd watching fireworks on the National Mall to test the city's emergency evacuation system.
Thousands of people are expected to come to the mall for a concert and fireworks, the Washington Post reports. Fifteen minutes after the show ends, police officers will direct drivers to seven evacuation routes where red and green traffic signals will be extended to four minutes each.
Douglas Noble, chief traffic engineer for the Transportation Department, told the Post engineers will observe the flow of departing visitors from a command post, using 50 television cameras to relay information. They will be able to alter traffic light patterns using laptop computers.
"We will have collected information in terms of how well this works in getting people out of the city," Noble said.

Please visit the link provided for the complete story.

Seems this 4th of July will be a bit different in Washington...
I find the planning date rather, hmmm, shall we say: weird?

[edit on 3/7/05 by COMSEUR]

COMSEUR

posted on Jul, 3 2005 @ 04:20 PM

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Too biased for ATS, roger, I stand corrected.
Only political correct, government approved posts from now on!

"A contributor voting NO on your submission: (submission) (news) Washington To Test Evacuation On July 4 has indicated they did so because they feel your story may be too biased for ATSNN."

Jamuhn

posted on Jul, 3 2005 @ 04:36 PM

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Only the introduction can be biased. It is supposed to start out like any other news story. If you wish to give your opinion, there is a section for that. Read over the news guidelines more carefully, and you will see how to make a story. Noone is telling you not to give your opinion, just not to do it in the first paragraph.

By the way, I voted yes on your submission, just cause I couldn't care less where you give your opinion.

MemoryShock

posted on Jul, 3 2005 @ 05:14 PM

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Jamuhn's right.......fix your intro......just the facts without any acknowledgemnet of your opinion/existence.......that goes underneath the main body story excerpt...........btw, I'll vote yes when you fix it........

[edit on 3-7-2005 by MemoryShock]

cryptorsa1001

posted on Jul, 3 2005 @ 05:26 PM

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I actual think it is a good idea. The large crowd is a perfect guinea pig for the test. When else are they going to get that big of a crowd to run there tests on?

Valhall

posted on Jul, 3 2005 @ 08:35 PM

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And by the way - bitching about the votes you get isn't all that smooth either. You take one person's vote and apply it to the whole damned board - thanks.

I think the timing of this drill is ultra-weird. Why the heck do they want to disrupt everybody's holiday???

SpittinCobra

posted on Jul, 3 2005 @ 08:37 PM

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Right Val, who is even going to be working?

Valhall

posted on Jul, 3 2005 @ 08:44 PM

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I know! Does this mean they are going to do a drill on the general populace? And if not - what is it on??? You are right, nobody but first responders (EMTs, firemen, policemen) will be working tomorrow. And could I please point something out - THEY WILL BE BUSY!!! Why the heck would you want to drill your first responders on one of the busiest crowd control days of the year!!!

I'm ultra confused...and kind of freaked out about this actually. IT MAKES NO SENSE!

WyrdeOne

posted on Jul, 3 2005 @ 08:44 PM

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Seems like a wee bit of conditioning to me...

Get people used to the random traffic stops, the searches, the directions, the men with guns everywhere. Make people equate following orders with safety while at the same time reinforcing the fear that makes control so easy to establish.

How many states are currently using random traffic stops and illegal unwarranted searches? Now you've got mandatory evacuation drills for citizens enjoying holiday fireworks, a brilliant tongue-in-cheek salute to the 'Freedom and Independence' we enjoy in this country nowadays.

I wouldn't go if they paid me.

the_oleneo

posted on Jul, 3 2005 @ 09:02 PM

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Valhall, I think they're just testing and observing what would be the general reaction (as well as what type of reactions) of the populace involved in such a large event and leaving afterward.

Valhall

posted on Jul, 3 2005 @ 09:08 PM

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Yeah - nerdling explained this to me that it is mainly going to be done by way of manipulating traffic lights.

I still think it sucks. Hopefully there won't be immense numbers of traffic accidents from this.

MemoryShock

posted on Jul, 3 2005 @ 09:20 PM

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Officials in Washington, D.C., plan to use the July Fourth crowd watching fireworks on the National Mall to test the city's emergency evacuation system.

They're testing an emergency evacuation.........my question centers on how are they going to simulate the behaviour of crowd that is aware of an emergency........I don't think they can.

It's well known that people in large groups are stupid and prone to panic......people will react all fine and good if they know it's a test.....but I hope they don't actually think this'll translate over to an actual emergency...

...I wouldn't be surprised if there was a subtler aspect to this.......

WyrdeOne

posted on Jul, 3 2005 @ 09:21 PM

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The system of manually manipulating traffic lights, that's not new is it? I seem to recall another major city using the same technique during heavy traffic periods.

There's also the system that allows the lights themselves to determine optimal timing, based on traffic density registered by road strips. I don't know what's wrong with that system, considering it removes human error from the equation, and reduces manpower requirements.

Then again, reducing manpower requirements is not exactly the goal of the state, is it?

They're trying to create this enormous security juggernaut, made up of millions of Americans, paying us to police our own, while in addition making people even more reliant on the favors (paycheck, etc.) of the state. All this at a time when the states are facing record deficits and the federal government continues to POUR money into the coffers of private contractors.

MacMerdin

posted on Jul, 3 2005 @ 10:14 PM

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This is very interesting.....I'll be watching the show from the corner of my street as I've been doing for the last 4 years now. It will be interesting to see if anything goes any differently. Yes, I can see the White House from the front entrance of my building.....so we'll see.

the_oleneo

posted on Jul, 4 2005 @ 07:33 PM

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Originally posted by Valhall
Yeah - nerdling explained this to me that it is mainly going to be done by way of manipulating traffic lights.

I still think it sucks. Hopefully there won't be immense numbers of traffic accidents from this.

I doubt it. Many people who goes to the Mall to watch the fireworks and then leave when it's over travel by the DC Metro-Rail system to and from all over the Washington Metropolitan Areas.

the_oleneo

posted on Jul, 4 2005 @ 07:35 PM

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Originally posted by MacMerdin
This is very interesting.....I'll be watching the show from the corner of my street as I've been doing for the last 4 years now. It will be interesting to see if anything goes any differently. Yes, I can see the White House from the front entrance of my building.....so we'll see.

Keep up posted. I'm very curious about the whole drill thing.