Even in Hometown Kissimmee
This morning's news that the threats to bomb various targets in Kissimmee, Florida and Greater Osceola County are tied to the discovery of actual bombs and bomb making materials proves yet again that the Kissimmee and Osceola County are not as safe as many would have us and our county government believe.
Even more concerning is that much of the critical equipment needed to respond to a Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosive (CBRNE) event are kept in Orlando.
This equipment, known as a "Push-Pack" is stored with other interagency response equipment and may only be release with the consent of Orange County's Emergency Operations Center.
The purpose of a "Push-Pack" is to place equipment near areas where the need for such equipment can reasonably be expected.
Today's announcement is further proof that Osceola County's equipment belongs in Osceola County.
Add to this yesterday's announcement of the first confirmed attempt to sell weapons grade uranium.
American officials attempted to reassure the public by stating that the amount of uranium offered for sale was less than that required to create a nuclear warhead.
It is of note that they did not deny that this was in fact weapons grade uranium.
Intelligence officials, terrorist and response experts, and those of us in the disaster medicine community have long feared the verification that weapons grade uranium is available on the terrorist market.
While government officials attempt to placate appropriately concerned citizens with the platitude "it's too little to make a nuclear bomb", anybody who has put together a Thanksgiving dinner knows that if you can't get enough sweet potatoes at one store you just go to another.
The terrorists are not stupid and little bit of weapons grade uranium here, a little bit more there and soon they have the critical mass to actually achieve critical mass.
Then there is the claim of the seller that the sample in his possession represented a much larger quantity.
Many security experts and almost every local disaster preparedness professional points to the fact that building a successful nuclear device is technically difficult.
Unfortunately, a first year undergraduate physics student in the 1980's proved that with minimal research it is possible to design a viable nuclear explosive.
If a terrorist, foreign or domestic, were to attempt a nuclear detonation and fail, the resultant dirty bomb would still cause as much havoc and hysteria as the actual mushroom cloud.
The medical community and the emergency management community throughout Central Florida needs to ramp-up their response capability, decentralize their resources through strategic deployment of assets and move the level of preparedness into the 21st century.
Even more concerning is that much of the critical equipment needed to respond to a Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosive (CBRNE) event are kept in Orlando.
This equipment, known as a "Push-Pack" is stored with other interagency response equipment and may only be release with the consent of Orange County's Emergency Operations Center.
The purpose of a "Push-Pack" is to place equipment near areas where the need for such equipment can reasonably be expected.
Today's announcement is further proof that Osceola County's equipment belongs in Osceola County.
Add to this yesterday's announcement of the first confirmed attempt to sell weapons grade uranium.
American officials attempted to reassure the public by stating that the amount of uranium offered for sale was less than that required to create a nuclear warhead.
It is of note that they did not deny that this was in fact weapons grade uranium.
Intelligence officials, terrorist and response experts, and those of us in the disaster medicine community have long feared the verification that weapons grade uranium is available on the terrorist market.
While government officials attempt to placate appropriately concerned citizens with the platitude "it's too little to make a nuclear bomb", anybody who has put together a Thanksgiving dinner knows that if you can't get enough sweet potatoes at one store you just go to another.
The terrorists are not stupid and little bit of weapons grade uranium here, a little bit more there and soon they have the critical mass to actually achieve critical mass.
Then there is the claim of the seller that the sample in his possession represented a much larger quantity.
Many security experts and almost every local disaster preparedness professional points to the fact that building a successful nuclear device is technically difficult.
Unfortunately, a first year undergraduate physics student in the 1980's proved that with minimal research it is possible to design a viable nuclear explosive.
If a terrorist, foreign or domestic, were to attempt a nuclear detonation and fail, the resultant dirty bomb would still cause as much havoc and hysteria as the actual mushroom cloud.
The medical community and the emergency management community throughout Central Florida needs to ramp-up their response capability, decentralize their resources through strategic deployment of assets and move the level of preparedness into the 21st century.