VARIOUS: THE UNITED STATES AND MEXICAN AUTHORITIES PARTICIPATE LARGE SCALE ATTACK RESPONSE DRILL

Record ID: 338308

  • Title: VARIOUS: THE UNITED STATES AND MEXICAN AUTHORITIES PARTICIPATE LARGE SCALE ATTACK RESPONSE DRILL
  • Date: 18th November 2003
  • Summary: (W1) NOGALES, SONORA, MEXICO (NOVEMBER 16, 2003) (REUTERS) 1. SLV NOGALES IN THE MORNING; SLV SIGNS POINTING TO BORDER WITH THE UNITED STATES; SLV U.S. FLAG AT BORDER; SCU SIGN FOR U.S. BORDER IMMIGRATION STATION (4 SHOTS) 0.15 (W1) NOGALES, ARIZONA, UNITED STATES (NOVEMBER 16, 2003) (REUTERS) 2. SCU U.S. FEDERAL AGENT 0.19 6. SLV SIMULATED EXPLOSIONS; SLV SPECTATORS; SLV POLICE RESCUE VEHICLE; SLV CARS BURNING DURING SIMULATION; MV PERSON SIMULATING INJURY (6 SHOTS) 0.48 7. SLV RESCUERS ATTENDING TO THE INJURED IN SIMULATION; SLV CAR BURNING IN SIMULATION (3 SHOTS) 1.00 8. MV AUTHORITIES; MV AUTHORITIES ATTENDING TO INJURED DURING SIMULATION; SLV BURNING VEHICLES DURING SIMULATION (5 SHOTS) 1.23 9. SLV AUTHORITIES WATCHING; SLV AUTHORITIES CARRYING THE INJURED DURING SIMULATION (4 SHOTS) 1.39 10. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) DIRECTOR OF CIVIL DEFENSE OF SONORA (MEXICO), WILLEBALDO ALATRISTE, SAYING "A situation like this that we are presenting reflects the reality - that such a situation would not respect borders, nor languages, nor nationality. It would affect us on both sides equally. And that is why we collaborated on this." 1.58 11. (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) MAYOR OF NOGALES (ARIZONA), MARCO ANTONIO LOPEZ, SAYING "There were more than two hundred participants from the Mexican authorities, and as we always have said from day to day, we work with and cooperate with the Mexico and today we have proven that." 2.14 12. SLV SMOKE BILLOWING FROM CARS (2 SHOTS) 2.21 13. SLV AUTHORITIES IN PROTECTIVE BLUE SUITS ATTENDING TO CHLORINE GAS CLOUD DURING SIMULATION; MV VICTIMS BEING ASSISTED; SLV FIRETRUCK; SLV FIREFIGHTERS PUTTING OUT FIRE DURING SIMULATION (14 SHOTS) 3.23 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 3rd December 2003 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: NOGALES, SONORA, MEXICO/ NOGALES, ARIZONA, UNITED STATES
  • City:
  • Country: USA
  • Reuters ID: LVA6PLYGJP4HFE0T5MT35HCEVATE
  • Story Text: U.S. and Mexican authorities participate in large
    attack response drill.

    Hundreds of U.S. and Mexican authorities came
    together on Sunday (November 16) in an exercise to test
    their response to a simulated terrorist attack.

    Several explosions ripped through the early morning
    calm on the U.S./Mexican border in Nogales, Arizona. The
    simulation was based on the premise that a chemical agent
    stolen in Mexico was driven into the Mariposa port of entry
    - Arizona's busiest commercial gateway into the U.S. in a
    truck and detonated.

    People pretending to be the dead and injured lay amid
    the destruction as local, state and federal authorities
    from both sides of the border raced in to rescue the
    "victims" during the drill.

    The fiery explosions were set off by special effects
    experts, while the toxic gas cloud was actually a harmless
    substance tinted green to resemble chlorine.

    The "victims" were brought to local hospitals in
    Arizona and Mexico.

    The exercise, officially called the Arizona Statewide
    Binational Weapons of Mass Destruction drill, will end on
    Tuesday (November 18) in Tucson. Its objective was to
    evaluate the abilities of state and local emergency
    management organisations and first responders, said a
    representative of the Arizona Deparment of Homeland
    Security.

    Another goal was to test the cooperation between
    Mexican and U.S. authorities.

    "A situation like this that we are presenting reflects
    the reality - that such a situation would not respect
    borders, nor languages, nor nationality. It would affect
    us on both sides equally. And that is why we collaborated
    on this," said the director of Mexico's Sonora State Civil
    Defense, Willebaldo Alatriste.

    In the next few weeks, U.S. and Mexican officials will
    assess the equipment and people and work to ensure more
    effective first response services, Alatriste added.

    On Sunday afternoon, officials turned the site over as
    a crime scene to the FBI and Mexican authorities.

    Monday's (November 17) scenario will focus on
    morgue-related processing and identification of victims,
    notification of their families and grief counselling for
    relatives and stress management for responders.


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