Huge Homeland Security drill will include over 100 agencies

This is the scenario: At noon in Seattle, a bomb explodes south of the business district, causing more than 100 casualties. Significant radiation is detected near the site, and it is soon apparent that this was a radiological dispersal device, known as a "dirty bomb."

The next day, about 2,000 miles to the east, people complaining of flulike symptoms trickle into hospitals in the Chicago area. Over the next 24 hours the number of patients escalates dramatically. Local officials diagnose the cause and ask the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta to confirm their fear -- a deadly biological agent has been released near Chicago.

The fictional events are set to unfold over five days beginning May 12 in what federal officials say will be the largest homeland security exercise in U.S. history. It will cost an estimated $16 million and involve more than 100 federal, state and local agencies, the American Red Cross and Canadian government agencies. About 8,500 people will take part in the exercise.

Federal officials said it is to test response to widely dispersed, almost simultaneous attacks using weapons of mass destruction.

Washington Post