DTN News - SPECIAL REPORT HURRICANE SANDY: Hurricane Sandy Hammers The Northeast USA

DTN News - SPECIAL REPORT HURRICANE SANDY: Hurricane Sandy Hammers The Northeast USA
* A region-by-region look at the destruction so far and what to expect

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources National Post
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - October 29, 2012: Hurricane Sandy is churning off the East Coast and is expected to join up with two other weather systems to create a huge and problematic storm affecting 50 million people. Here’s a snapshot of what is happening or expected, region by region.

ONTARIO

Ontario residents are urged to make preparations ahead of the heavy rainfall and high winds from Hurricane Sandy. Southern and eastern Ontario are expected to be hit by the super storm, with heavy rainfall and potentially damaging winds up to 100 kilometres per hour. “The Canadian Red Cross encourages all Canadians to take some steps to ensure their safety. Be prepared to take care of yourself and your family for at least 72 hours in an emergency,” Denis Dion, national director of disaster management for the Canadian Red Cross, said in a statement. “By taking some time now to store emergency food, water and other supplies, you can provide for your entire family during a power outage or evacuation.”

Read more…

QUEBEC

Along with Ontario, Quebec will likely see the strongest winds, with gusts up to 100 kilometres per hour and between 20 to 40 millimetres of rain, although higher amounts are possible in some areas. That will make for a soggy day, but that level isn’t enough to trigger a rainfall warning.

MARITIMES

Starting Tuesday morning, the Maritime provinces will see a lot more rain — up to 100 millimetres — and weaker winds than Ontario, though still strong at an expected 70 kilometres per hour.

CAROLINAS

The U.S. Coast Guard rescued 14 members of a crew forced to abandon a Canadian-built tall ship about 144 off the North Carolina coast and continued to search for two other crew members. The storm lashed barrier islands and rendered several homes and businesses nearly inaccessible.

CONNECTICUT

The University of Connecticut is closing Tuesday, joining a hundreds of other schools and school systems across the state. The closure includes UConn’s law school and the UConn Health Center, though the John Dempsey Hospital will remain open during the storm. Power outages: 55,000.

DELAWARE

Dover Air Force Base has relocated some aircraft in anticipation of the storm, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency has requested that the base be used as a staging area for support and supplies. Some residents of low-lying areas of the base have been ordered to evacuate.

KENTUCKY

Sandy is expected to bring snow to far southeastern Kentucky. A winter storm warning is in effect in Harlan, Letcher and Pike counties through Wednesday morning. Forecasters say snow could accumulate from 4 to 10 inches in high elevations and 1 to 3 inches in lower elevations.

MAINE

Virtually all Maine public schools opened Monday but some were closing early before the heaviest rain and wind from Hurricane Sandy. State officials say the biggest concern is wind, which is expected to cause widespread power outages. The state’s utilities say they have crews poised to deal with expected power outages, including some from Canada. Power outages: 5,700.

MARYLAND

Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley has closed the Bay Bridge because of the storm. The bridge spans the Chesapeake Bay, connecting the state’s eastern and western shores. Hurricane Sandy already has caused heavy damage to a large, iconic ocean pier in the Maryland beach resort of Ocean City.

MASSACHUSETTS

Voluntary evacuation recommendations have been issued in Scituate, Lynn, New Bedford and Plum Island. The recommendations are for just certain sections of the communities that could be affected by flooding as a result of Hurricane Sandy. A Red Cross spokeswoman said just a few people stayed at its shelters Sunday night, but she expects more people Monday night and into Tuesday. Power outages: 56,000.

REUTERS/Gary HershornA workman cuts a tree in pieces after it fell on top of a car in Hoboken, New Jersey, October 29, 2012. Hurricane Sandy, one of the biggest storms ever to hit the United States, battered the densely populated East Coast, shutting down transportation, forcing evacuations in flood-prone areas and interrupting the presidential election campaign.

MICHIGAN

Michigan utilities say high winds could cause power outages in the state and they’re keeping an eye on the weather to respond to power problems. DTE Energy Co. said gusts of 50 mph Monday evening and Tuesday could affect some it its 2.1 million customers.

NEW HAMPSHIRE
Gov. John Lynch has urged all drivers to be off the roads by 3 p.m. as Hurricane Sandy approaches. Lynch declared a state of emergency and directed that non-essential state workers be released from work Monday afternoon. He urged employers to consider releasing workers early. The governor has put 100 New Hampshire Guard soldiers on active duty. Power outages: 47,400.

Kevin Lamargue / ReutersA wall of water batters what remains of the fishing pier in Ocean City, Maryland as Hurricane Sandy intensifies October 29, 2012. About 50 million people from the Mid-Atlantic to Canada were in the path of the nearly 1,600-km-wide storm, which forecasters said could be the largest to hit the mainland in U.S. history.

NEW JERSEY

All roads into and out of Ocean City are closed due to flooding that has cut off the popular Jersey shore resort community. Hurricane Sandy already had flooded most of Atlantic City, sweeping away an old section of the city’s famed boardwalk. Power outages: 95,000.

NEW YORK

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the city’s public schools will remain closed on Tuesday after being shut down Monday. Earlier, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel and Holland Tunnel would close at 2 p.m. Monday. Airports in the metropolitan New York City area are open, but air carriers are not operating. Power outages: 263,000.

OHIO

Residents of low-lying areas and along Lake Erie were told to watch for flooding; utilities are anticipating high winds that could blow down trees and poles. Snow is forecast in some areas.

PENNSYLVANIA

Officials from the state transit agency and the Pennsylvania Turnpike have instituted speed restrictions over concerns about high winds and ordered certain vehicles, including empty trucks and motorcycles, off some highways. The National Weather Service says southeastern Pennsylvania could get winds reaching 75 mph and rainfall up to 10 inches. Power outages: 25,000.

RHODE ISLAND

Officials are concerned about wind driving water north up Narragansett Bay, which could create flooding in low-lying areas of the upper bay, including Providence, Warwick and Cranston. About 2,600 National Grid customers were without power, mostly in Barrington and other parts of Bristol County. Power outages: 12,000.

TENNESSEE

Snow is expected in higher elevations, where a freeze warning has been issued. High winds are expected in many areas.

VERMONT

Gov. Peter Shumlin declared a state of emergency to provide access to National Guard troops in a state still recovering from the devastating effects of the remnants of Hurricane Irene. Culverts and storm drainage basins in some spots have been cleared of debris. Power outages: 4,000.

VIRGINIA

A curfew is in place on Virginia’s swamped Chincoteague Island. Officials say the entire 37-square-mile island is underwater, and there is no way off the island because a causeway to the mainland has been closed. The 3,500 islanders who decided to tough out Hurricane Sandy have been told to keep off the streets. Power outages: 9,500.

WASHINGTON, D.C.

Taxis that originate in Washington are authorized to add an emergency flat rate of $15 per trip because of Hurricane Sandy, starting Monday. The price is supposed to expire at noon Tuesday, but can be extended if considered necessary. The capital area’s transit system shut down rail service for the first time since 2003. Power outages: 2,300.

WEST VIRGINIA

Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin declared a state of emergency Monday for West Virginia, where Sandy is expected to bring high winds and heavy rains and leave behind flooded towns and as much as 3 feet of snow on the state’s highest ridge tops. Eastern parts of the state can expect to get up to 6 inches of rain. Fourteen counties are under blizzard warnings.

WISCONSIN

With waves expected to reach as high as 33 feet Tuesday on Lake Michigan, the Port of Milwaukee is taking steps to protect its docks and boats. The superstorm bearing down on the East Coast Is expected to create dangerous conditions on the Great Lakes. The National Weather Service issued gale and storm warnings for the lakes through Wednesday.

Related

• Hurricane Sandy nears land, lashing U.S. East Coast; nearly a million without power
• Hurricane Sandy’s wind gusts are biggest threat to Toronto overnight: officials
• Two missing, 14 rescued after Canadian-built tall ship HMS Bounty sunk by Hurricane Sandy
• Crane partially collapses atop New York’s tallest residential building as Hurricane Sandy approaches

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources National Post
*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News 
*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News Contact:dtnnews@ymail.com 
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DTN News - COLD WAR ERA IMAGES: Fidel Castro In New York City, 1959

DTN News - COLD WAR ERA IMAGES: Fidel Castro In New York City, 1959

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources New York Daily News
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - October 27, 2012: A Florida doctor claimed on Oct. 19 that Cuban strongman Fidel Castro had suffered a massive stroke that left him unable to speak, recognize anyone or fend for himself.  

As rumors gain strength that the reclusive leader may be on death’s door, we look back to an earlier era - before the Cuban Missle Crisis - when he toured New York City as a young man.

He came, he saw, he conquered. In 1959, Fidel Castro came to New York, hired a public relations firm, ate hot dogs, kissed ladies like a rock star, and held babies like a politician. Loved by some, hated by others, his trips to the Big Apple were galvanizing. 

Take a stroll through the News' archives ... Here, Gladys Feijoo, 19-year-old Miss La Prensa of 1959, kisses Fidel Castro as he signs his autograph for her collection on April 22, 1959.

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources New York Daily News
*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News 
*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News Contact:dtnnews@ymail.com 
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DTN News - SAD CHAPTER OF OUR MANKIND HISTORY: America Mourns Sept 11 Dead With Somber Ceremonies

DTN News - SAD CHAPTER OF OUR MANKIND HISTORY: America Mourns Sept 11 Dead With Somber Ceremonies

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Reuters

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - September 12, 2011: Children yearned for lost parents and grown men and women sobbed in raw grief on the brass bearing the names of nearly 3,000 dead as America commemorated the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

The name of every person killed in al Qaeda's hijacked plane attacks was read on Sunday in the nearly five-hour-long centerpiece of a heart-wrenching ceremony where the World Trade Center twin towers stood.

"I haven't stopped missing my Dad. He was awesome," said Peter Negron, a child when his father, Pete, was killed in one of the towers. "I wish my Dad had been there to teach me how to drive, ask a girl out on a date and see me graduate from high school and a hundred other things I can't even begin to name."

There were smaller ceremonies in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and at the Pentagon, the other sites were 19 men from the Islamic militant group al Qaeda crashed hijacked airliners on the sunny Tuesday morning of September 11, 2001.

The attacks led U.S. forces to invade Afghanistan to topple the Taliban rulers who had harbored al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and Washington began a "war on terror" that ousted Iraq's Saddam Hussein and persists on several fronts to this day.

"Ten years have passed since a perfect blue sky morning turned into the blackest of nights," New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said at New York's Ground Zero.

"Since then, we've lived in sunshine and in shadow, and although we can never unsee what happened here, we can also see that children who lost their parents have grown into young adults, grandchildren have been born and good works and public service have taken root to honor those we loved and lost."

Thousands gathered at the site on a clear morning to grieve. With security tight and no traffic, there was an eerie silence where the 110-story skyscrapers collapsed a decade ago, sending a noxious cloud over lower Manhattan.

President Barack Obama, who visited all three attack sites, read from Psalm 46 in New York: "God is our refuge and strength."

Speaking at an evening concert in Washington that closed out a day of memorial observances, Obama said much had changed for Americans in the 10 years since September 11, 2001.

"We can never get back the lives we lost on that day, or the Americans who made the ultimate sacrifice in the wars that followed," Obama said. "Yet today, it is worth remembering what has not changed. Our character as a nation has not changed."

RUBBING NAMES

The ceremony in New York -- with the wail of bagpipes, youthful voices singing the national anthem and firefighters holding aloft a tattered American flag retrieved from Ground Zero -- drew tears. Family members wore T-shirts with the faces of the dead, carried photos, flowers and flags in an outpouring of emotion.

For the first time, relatives saw the just-finished memorial and touched the stone where the names of their dead loved ones were etched. Some left flowers, others small teddy bears. Some used pencils to rub the names on paper, some took pictures, others leaned against the stone and cried.

The names of the dead were read by wives and husbands, fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers and children, some choked with emotion.

"May your soul finally rest in peace. Your son Nathan and I, as the years go by, grow strong. Goodbye, my dear friend, my teacher and my hero," said Candy Glazer.

Glazer's husband, Edmund Glazer, cheerfully called his wife from Flight 11 not long before he died when the plane hit the north tower -- the first of that day's horrific events.

Nicholas Gorki, 9, had these words for the father he never met, Sebastian Gorki, who died at the World Trade Center while his wife was still pregnant: "You gave me the gift of life and I wish you could be here to enjoy it with me."

The September 11 attacks claimed the lives of people from more than 90 countries. They were followed by al Qaeda bombing assaults in London, Madrid and elsewhere and brought an international campaign to ferret out their members.

"God bless every soul that we lost," said former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, who was called "America's mayor" for his leadership after the attacks.

"SO MANY NAMES ..."

The New York memorial includes two plazas in the shape of the footprints of the twin towers with cascading 30 foot waterfalls. Around the perimeters of pools in the center of each plaza are the names of the victims of the 2001 attacks and an earlier attack at the trade center in 1993.

Obama visited the North Memorial Pool in the footprint of the north tower. He walked around it hand-in-hand with first lady Michelle Obama, former President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura. Obama touched the etched names of the dead before he greeted some family members.

"So many names, there is barely room on the walls of the heart," said former New York Governor George Pataki, reading from the Billy Collins poem "The Names."

Police in New York and Washington were on high alert against what authorities called a "credible but unconfirmed" threat of an al Qaeda plot to attack the United States again on the 10th anniversary.

The U.S. military said it scrambled two F-16s to accompany an aircraft flying from Los Angeles to JFK airport in New York after reports of suspicious activity, and the U.S. Secret Service said it was looking into threatening messages posted on the White House's Facebook page.

At Shanksville, Obama laid a wreath where a plane crashed after passengers overwhelmed hijackers intent on piloting it into the White House or U.S. Capitol. Chants of "USA, USA" broke out from the crowd, gathered at the foot of a grassy hill. The Obamas talked with family members. "Thank you for keeping us safe," one man called out to the president.

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett said the passengers on Flight 93 -- remembered forever in Todd Beamer's "Let's roll" rallying cry -- "set a new standard for American bravery."

Later at the Pentagon, Obama placed a wreath of white flowers at the memorial, which says "September 11, 2001 9:37 AM" to mark the time the plane struck the U.S. military's headquarters.

POPE URGES "REJECT VIOLENCE"

In the Adriatic city of Ancona, Italy, Pope Benedict prayed for September 11 victims and appealed to those with grievances to "always reject violence."

In May, nearly a decade after September 11, U.S. forces killed al Qaeda founder bin Laden at his hide-out in Pakistan. The 2001 attacks prompted wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, where the Pentagon still has a large number of troops and where violence persists.

"The 9/11 attacks were the beginning of a long winter in world history," NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said in Brussels. "But events in the Middle East have renewed our faith that although the desire for freedom can be repressed, it can never be extinguished. The Arab spring is a new season of hope for us all."

There were moments of silence in the Ground Zero ceremony marking when the planes hit the twin towers as well as when they collapsed. Other moments of silence were marked when the plane hit the Pentagon and the fourth crashed in Shanksville.

After a faltering start at rebuilding, the new One World Trade Center is now more than 80 stories above the ground as it rises to its planned 1,776-foot height -- symbolic of the year of America's independence from Britain.

For many -- particularly the more than 1,100 families who received no remains of their dead -- Sunday was the closest they came to a funeral for their loved ones. With the memorial complete, it offered for the first time something resembling a final resting place and a formal place to mourn.

"When we came out here 10 years ago there was a hole in the earth and that's how we felt," said Dakota Hale, 25, of Denver, who lost his stepfather, flight attendant Alfred Marchand.

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Reuters

*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News

*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News

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DTN News - SAD CHAPTER OF OUR MANKIND HISTORY: Americans Mark 10th Anniversary Of September 11 Attacks

DTN News - SAD CHAPTER OF OUR MANKIND HISTORY: Americans Mark 10th Anniversary Of September 11 Attacks

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Reuters

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - September 11, 2011: Americans Sunday remembered the horror of September 11, 2001, and the nearly 3,000 people who died in the hijacked plane attacks as authorities worked to ensure the emotional 10th anniversary was peaceful.

Law enforcement authorities in New York and Washington were on high alert against what was described as a "credible but unconfirmed" threat of an al Qaeda plot to attack the United States again a decade after the toppling of the World Trade Center's twin towers by hijacked airliners.

Security was especially tight in Manhattan, where police set up vehicle checks on city streets as well as bridges and tunnels coming into the city.

President Barack Obama and former President George W. Bush, who was president at the time of the attacks, were scheduled to be among the dignitaries at the Ground Zero site in New York.

They were set to join victims' families to hear the reading of the names of those who died on September 11. Bells will toll across the city.

In the attacks, 19 men from the Islamic militant group al Qaeda hijacked airliners and crashed them into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon outside Washington and a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

To mark the attacks, Obama was set to visit all three sites.

"Thanks to the tireless efforts of our military personnel and our intelligence, law enforcement and homeland security professionals, there should be no doubt: today, America is stronger and al Qaeda is on the path to defeat," Obama said in his weekly radio and Internet address.

U.S. forces killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Pakistan in May.

Sunday's Ground Zero ceremony was set to include moments of silence marking when planes hit the twin towers as well as when they collapsed. Other moments of silence will mark when a plane hit the Pentagon and another crashed in Shanksville after passengers fought back against the hijackers.

Bush, who has kept a low profile since leaving office, was in Shanksville Saturday. "The memory of that morning is fresh, and so is the pain," Bush told a crowd at the site.

'THEIR LIVES MATTERED'

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie spoke Saturday at the opening of a monument to the 746 residents of his state killed in the attacks. The "Empty Sky" memorial in Liberty State Park, across the Hudson River from the World Trade Center, has the names of the dead etched on two 30-foot tall walls, each 208 feet and 10 inches long -- the exact width of the twin towers.

"Their lives mattered," Christie said at the ceremony, which began late because security slowed traffic. "That's why we built this memorial and that's why we come here today."

Security concerns were high in Washington, too. Authorities shut down part of Dulles International Airport in northern Virginia outside the U.S. capital Saturday because of a suspicious object but later said no explosives were found.

New Yorkers, accustomed to heightened security and alerts that have become commonplace over the past decade, appeared to take the increased police presence in stride.

A decade later, after a faltering start, there are signs of rebuilding progress at the World Trade Center site. The new One World Trade Center skyscraper rises more than 80 stories above the ground as it inches to its planned 1,776 foot height -- symbolic of the year of America's independence from Britain.

The memorial plaza is ready and the neighborhood has enjoyed a revival, making it a trendy Manhattan place to live.

The 2001 attacks were followed by U.S.-led wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the latter of which Obama opposed. The United States still has thousands of troops deployed in both countries.

But the weak U.S. economy has become the biggest concern for many Americans. Obama said, "After a hard decade of war, it is time for nation building here at home."

(Editing by Will Dunham)

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Reuters

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DTN News - AL-QAEDA PAKISTAN CONNECTION: Feds Watching Possible Terror Plot For NY, D.C.

DTN News - AL-QAEDA PAKISTAN CONNECTION: Feds Watching Possible Terror Plot For NY, D.C.

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources CBS

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - September 8, 2011: CBS News has learned that officials Thursday are very concerned about new information that there could be a terror strike on the 10th anniversary of 9/11, and this new potential plot could target New York or Washington, D.C.

According to CBS News correspondent Bob Orr, this threat is "specific and credible but unconfirmed," meaning that intelligence agencies across the government has picked up a threat stream from overseas, and that there is a full court press by the FBI, CIA and others to refute or corroborate the information.

Sources told CBS News that the threat specifically has come from Pakistan, which is home to terror groups, including the Pakistani Taliban, the organization behind the failed Times Square bombing attempt.

A federal law enforcement source told CBS News that operatives are acting on Osama bin Laden's wishes to time an attack to the anniversary.

While the report is unconfirmed, a number of officials say that there are enough elements lined up to have them concerned about this threat stream more so than the others they have seen in recent days.

A Federal source told CBS News that FBI and intelligence authorities are currently tracking two distinct threat streams -- one involving a car bombing threat in New York or Washington and a separate threat against bridges and tunnels in New York. It is unknown if there is a correlation between the two threats.

A White House official told CBS News White House correspondent Mark Knoller that President Obama was briefed about the threat Thursday morning and had been updated all day. "The United States government has already significantly enhanced its security posture in advance of the 9/11 anniversary to protect the country against possible terrorist threats," said the official. "Nevertheless, the President directed the counterterrorism community to redouble its efforts in response to this credible but unconfirmed information."

White House officials said there were no plans to change Obama's travel schedule on Sunday in light of the threat. The president is scheduled to mark the 9/11 anniversary with stops at New York's ground zero, the Pentagon and Shanksville, Pa. He will also deliver remarks Sunday night at a memorial concert at the Kennedy Center in Washington.

"It's accurate that there is specific, credible but unconfirmed threat information," Homeland Security Department spokesman Matt Chandler said in a statement. "As we always do before important dates like the anniversary of 9/11, we will undoubtedly get more reporting in the coming days."

The U.S. has not raised its official terror threat level.

Earlier, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said there was no information about a specific threat around the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks but there is "a lot of chatter."

Napolitano told reporters Thursday that "in the intel world there is lots of chatter and we are taking it very seriously."

CBS News reports that the secretary said more federal air marshals would be deployed for the anniversary but wouldn't specify other measures being taken by Homeland Security and other agencies other than that they were "preparing accordingly."

Special Section | 9/11: Ten Years Later Special Section: 9/11 Videos Special Section: 9/11 in Photos

Napolitano said Homeland Security would warn the public if a threat arose.

Pentagon Memorial

Asked about the threat of "lone wolves," Napolitano said it is a "key concern" that "more and more Americans in-country are being radicalized to the point of violence" and that Internet recruiting by those like U.S.-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki is having an impact, CBS News reports.

Speaking generally and not in reference to the 9/11 anniversary, Napolitano said a 9/11-style plot would be "much more difficult" to execute now than 10 years ago because of the multiple security layers now in place, better intelligence gathering and better intelligence sharing, among other improvements, CBS News reports.

Defense chief: Threat of 9/11 repeat "very real" Pictures: 9/11 images, before and after A look at United Flight 93, 10 years later

Flight 93 Memorial: Shanksville, Pa.

In New York, despite no specific terrorism threats against the city, thousands of extra police officers will be deployed, officials said Wednesday.

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, in remarks at a security conference in midtown Manhattan, cited evidence found in Osama bin Laden's compound after his death suggesting he hoped to strike on the anniversary.

"For that reason alone, we need to take precautions as if an actual plot is under way," Kelly said.

The New York Police Department plans to form a zone around the World Trade Center for a Sunday observance that President Obama and former President George W. Bush plan to attend. Along with extra officers -- the department won't reveal an exact number -- the security also will include hundreds of surveillance cameras trained on the site, Kelly said.

The World Trade Center gathering also will showcase a new police command of 212 officers dedicated to protecting the site. The officers have received special counterterrorism training, including on how to spot people conducting reconnaissance and how to respond to suicide or truck bombers.

Visiting ground zero & lower Manhattan

The command conducted drills this week on evacuating the National September 11 Memorial & Museum and its adjacent plaza, which opens Monday.

Sunday's observance is one of more than 30 commemorative events scheduled for the week that the department is laboring to protect, Kelly said.

"We don't presume that ground zero alone is a potential target," the commissioner said. "That would be shortsighted."

The department also will deploy so-called quick-strike reaction forces to respond to potential threats outside lower Manhattan, Kelly said. The teams include officers in heavy armor, bomb squad technicians and hostage negotiators who will have highway patrol escorts on standby if needed.

New Yorkers will see more officers in the subways as well. Many will concentrate on busy transportation hubs such as Grand Central Terminal, Pennsylvania Station and the Herald Square subway station.

There are other security concerns: Extra patrols also will be deployed in Queens for Sunday's U.S. Open tennis finale. And the department is gearing up for next week's U.N. General Assembly, working with the Secret Service to protect 130 heads of state and coordinate 220 motorcades, Kelly said.

"In other words, we have a lot on our plate," he said. "But we have the talent and the resources to deal with it."

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources CBS

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*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News

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