Effective plans must be put in place to cope with possible terrorist threat, says NEMA’s National Disaster Coordinator

ZIZ News…March 5, 2010 – Effective plans must be put in place to cope with every eventuality, including the threat of a terrorist attack, is the view expressed by NEMA’s National Disaster Coordinator, Mr Carl Herbert.

Speaking at the Port Security Crisis Management Tabletop Exercise which concluded today at NEMA Headquarters, Mr Herbert explained how participants at the event were faced with a possible scenario of a terrorist attack.

Mr Herbert says it’s vital that stakeholders are given scenarios to see how they would cope if they were faced with a real-life terrorist situation.

Mr Herbert provided more details about the scenario given to the participants:

“The scenario really surrounds a possible terrorist attack aboard a vessel, because it is something that can happen and also it is an emerging threat it is important that stakeholders meet and look at possible scenarios that could happen, so that in the event it happens we have some advance knowledge of how we are supposed to interface, collaborate and co-operate.”

According to NEMA’s National Disaster Coordinator, a terrorist is only looking for one chance to carry out a successful attack. Mr Herbert says it’s therefore crucial that effective plans are put in place to prevent a terrorist carrying out their intended mission. Mr Herbert says:

“Terrorists say they only want to be lucky once and we have to be lucky all the time, and so it means they have given clear notice that they will continue to try to be lucky. So if we don’t continue to prepare then it means if they get that one chance to be lucky we are going to be most unlucky.”