[42558] in North American Network Operators' Group
Re: CNN and NAWAS
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Craig A. Haney)
Mon Sep 17 20:11:44 2001
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Date: Mon, 17 Sep 2001 20:11:06 -0400
To: Sean Donelan <sean@donelan.com>, nanog@merit.edu
From: "Craig A. Haney" <craig@seamless.kludge.net>
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At 3:56 PM -0700 17/09/2001, Sean Donelan wrote:
>Sorry to do this, but I read this CNN news story and
>I'd like to point out the technology existed. The procedures
>and policies may have been lacking.
>
>http://www.cnn.com/2001/US/09/16/inv.hijack.warning/
> Military officials at NORAD ordered fighter jets from
> Langley Air Force Base in Virginia to intercept the
> flight, but neither the FAA, NORAD, nor any other
> federal government organization made any effort to
> evacuate the buildings in Washington.
>
> Officials at the Pentagon said that no mechanism existed
> within the U.S. government to notify various departments
> and agencies under such circumstances.
>
>Actually, there has been a mechanism to alert almost every
>public safety point in the nation for many years.
>
>Quoting from the NAWAS manual:
>
>> The National Warning System (NAWAS) is a 24-hour continuous
>> private line telephone system used to convey warnings to
>> Federal, State and local governments, as well as the military
>> and civilian population. Originally, the primary mission of
>> the NAWAS was to warn of an imminent enemy attack or an actual
>> accidental missile launch upon the United States. NAWAS still
>> supports this mission but the emphasis is on natural and
>> technological disasters.
>>
>> In today’s post-Cold War environment, the threats imposed by
>> disasters make it imperative for all government officials to
>> have access to an effective and reliable means of warning the
>> public of impending emergencies so that they may take protective
>> actions. Title VI of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief
>> and Emergency Assistance Act authorizes the use of the NAWAS
>> to support the All-Hazards emergency response mission of the
>> Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). NAWAS is used to
>> disseminate warning information concerning natural and
>> technological disasters to various warning points throughout
>> the continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii and the Virgin
>> Islands. This information includes but is not limited to acts
>> of terrorism including Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) after
>> aircraft incidents/accidents, earthquakes, floods, hurricanes,
>> nuclear incidents/accidents, severe thunderstorms, tornadoes,
>> tsunamis and winter storms/blizzards. NAWAS allows issuance of
>> warnings to all stations nationwide or to selected stations as
>> dictated by the situation.
>
>
>The rumor is it takes NORAD less than 3 minutes to issue an alert.
>The government had the means to issue a warning.
Sean,
Does this mean it takes 3 minutes to decide to issue a warning or
that it takes 3 minutes to distribute the warning once the decision
to issue has been made?
-craig
