The unfathomable terrorist attacks Tuesday on the country's financial and military centers left Cincinnatians wondering how likely a target their city might be.

        The answer, as best anyone can give: It's doubtful, but there are no certainties in terrorism.

All non-military personnel were released from duty at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio, as the base went under a “heightened state of security.” (Gary Landers photos) | ZOOM |

        Organizers of Tuesday's hits on the World Trade Center and Pentagon made explosive statements. Because Cincinnati offers no such hugely symbolic targets, experts say the city is much less likely to be hit.

        “Terrorists are like movie directors,” said Abe Miller, professor of political science at the University of Cincinnati.

        “They're looking for good visuals. This is a horrific visual. It's an attack on our culture, our identity.”

        But, said Ed Boldt, special agent and spokesman for Cincinnati's FBI office, “once you say that, you automatically have to think of Oklahoma City. Who knows?”

        Officials wouldn't disclose the local spots they've discussed as possible targets.

        Still, watching the buildings collapse and burn prompted local officials to review their emergency-preparedness plans:

        • Frank Young, director of Warren County's emergency management agency, met with all county department heads and elected officials Tuesday to remind them that their employees should report suspicious packages and suspicious people. He also beefed up security at the communications center.

        • Cincinnati hospitals were putting together information on their available beds at the request of the National Disaster Medical System. It was too early to say whether Cincinnati hospitals would be called to assist with the injured, said Colleen O'Toole, vice president of the Greater Cincinnati Health Council.

        • FBI agents talked with police and fire officials in the region. They've been training together for the past several years under the federal Defense Against Weapons of Mass Destruction Act of 1996. It regulates the training of firefighters, police and emergency medical technicians in the 200 largest cities in the United States.

        “From where I sit, we continue to make progress in our own preparedness,” said Dr. Malcolm Adcock, Cincinnati health commissioner. “But I don't know that anybody could be prepared for what happened in New York.”

        The local plans, focused on possible chemical or biological attacks, have improved the region's ability to communicate across multiple jurisdictions in the event of an attack.

        However, plans to create a Metropolitan-area Medical Response System have not been completed.

        A year ago, in a “table-top simulation,” federal officials determined that a typical medium-sized city would not fare well in the event of a terrorist attack. The exercise revealed that hospitals and emergency personnel in many heartland cities would be ill-prepared to handle the aftermath of a terrorist attack using weapons of mass destruction.

        Mr. Young printed a picture from the Internet of the second plane just before it slammed into the World Trade Center. He intends to keep it on his desk — as “a reminder that this can happen.”

        Enquirer reporters Janice Morse, Marie McCain and Sheila McLaughlin contributed to this story.
       

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