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Kansas City To Conduct Biowar Disaster Drill

Daylong exercise will test KC's ability to respond to bioterrorism

By MATT CAMPBELL - The Kansas City Star Date: 11/09/01 23:36

The hypothetical scenario is chilling.

People in Kansas City start getting sick. Hospitals become overcrowded with patients. Then come the deaths and the realization that the city has been hit by bioterrorism.

Do emergency agencies know how to handle it? Do elected officials know how to respond? Can health officials make extremely important decisions quickly?

Those questions and more will be examined in a daylong exercise planned Nov. 28 at the Kansas City Health Department.

Players from all over the community, including business and political leaders as well as local media outlets, will be asked to respond to a potential attack. The exercise will not involve the general public.

"Fear that leads to inaction or inappropriate action is not good," Kansas City Health Director Rex Archer said Friday in a meeting at The Kansas City Star.

"But not enough realistic fear of what the big problems might be and that we're not working enough to solve isn't good either," he said. "The real hard part is to try to find a way to balance the message."

The results of the tabletop exercise will be used to revise emergency plans and to prepare for a more elaborate exercise early next year, said William F. Lawson III, Midwest regional director for the watchdog group Business Executives for National Security.

That group is a co-sponsor of the exercise, along with the city health department, the Mid-America Regional Council and the Greater Kansas City Chapter of the Association of the U.S. Army.

In addition to the exercise, Richard Butler, formerly the United Nations' chief weapons inspector in Iraq, will speak at a breakfast meeting Nov. 30 at the Imperial Ballroom in the Muehlebach Tower of the Kansas City Marriott Downtown at 12th and Wyandotte streets.

Tickets for the breakfast meeting, which are $25 per person or $225 for a table for 10, can be obtained through the Mid-America Regional Council, (816) 474-4240, Ext. 410.

To reach Matt Campbell call (816) 234-4905 or e-mail to mcampbell@kcstar.com.

-- Anonymous, November 10, 2001

Answers

When they get to that $25 breakfast, they should find an empty water glass, a cup of watered down coffee and some powdered milk and cold cereal. With it should be an explantion that the facility is in lock down for small pox and they have no other food. And since everyone is in quarantine, they will have to stay put until enuff vaccinate health care workers can be found to bring in food and water from FEMA. Also notify them that the entire metropolitan area of KC is quarantined and anyone trying to break the perimeter will be shot. Airports are closed and there is not public transportation leaving the area.

Think they just maybe MIGHT think of food and water, etc for sheltering in place?? Naaaaaaaaaw! That would be too easy.

In our area the family has to provide all school supplies for their children. Just before school starts there is a week where no one pays tax on any clothes, shoes, supplies, etc that can in anyway be related to school. When you enter Walmart there is a person standing there representing the various schools. That person then gives you the total list of everything that kid will need for the school year with re school supplies and off you go to buy all of that while checking it off the list. I think that every household in the land should be receiving a panphlet telling you what you should have per person with regards to age (babies and infants). Then I think Walmart should have it set up like they do the school supplies. Have everything in case lots in the aisels for those who need the cases. You would pick up your list at the door for what your family needs. I think if nothing else it would be a hell of a good marketing tool.

Some people are stocking up...Costco sales up 13% this year and Walmart up too. They are not stocking up on potatoe chips. (at least I HOPE NOT!!). Taz

-- Anonymous, November 10, 2001

Great idea about handing out the lists at stores, Taz! What're the chances?? Slim/none, I'm afraid; too logical!

Several things about this article caught my eye, first of which was that the Mid-America Regional Council is the organization that served as public 'point man' for the city's Y2k education programs that were part of Koskinen's "Community Conversations". The second was why in the hell were they having this sort of a meeting and charging $25 a head for breakfast (!!?!), and having it at the biggest hotel in town? The cost alone is going to exclude many people; people who ought to be there.

-- Anonymous, November 10, 2001

Yep, great idea, Taz. In fact, the Red Cross ought to have volunteers at various spots handing out copies of their supplies list. It's not a great list but it's better than nothing. You think the Red Cross would do this? Nah! (Unless they could charge for it, of course.)

-- Anonymous, November 10, 2001

Taz, I love your idea! What would it hurt to send an e-mail to Wal- Mart and Cosco with this part of your post:

"In our area the family has to provide all school supplies for their children. Just before school starts there is a week where no one pays tax on any clothes, shoes, supplies, etc that can in anyway be related to school. When you enter Walmart there is a person standing there representing the various schools. That person then gives you the total list of everything that kid will need for the school year with re school supplies and off you go to buy all of that while checking it off the list. I think that every household in the land should be receiving a panphlet telling you what you should have per person with regards to age (babies and infants). Then I think Walmart should have it set up like they do the school supplies. Have everything in case lots in the aisels for those who need the cases. You would pick up your list at the door for what your family needs. I think if nothing else it would be a hell of a good marketing tool."

It's a win win for the companies and their customers!

-- Anonymous, November 11, 2001