Cities’ emergency communications graded

Washington ? Only six of 75 U.S. cities and surrounding areas rate top grades for their emergency agencies’ ability to communicate during a disaster, according to a federal report obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press.

A draft portion of the report, to be released today, gives the highest ratings to Washington, San Diego, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Columbus, Ohio; Sioux Falls, S.D., and Laramie County, Wyo.

The lowest scores went to Chicago; Cleveland, Baton Rouge, La.; Mandan, N.D., and American Samoa.

The study, conducted by the Department of Homeland Security, comes five years after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, revealed major problems in how well emergency agencies were able to talk to each other during a catastrophe.

Many firefighters climbing the World Trade Center towers died when they were unable to hear police radio warnings to leave the crumbling buildings.

Just more than a year ago, Hurricane Katrina underscored communication problems when radio transmissions were hindered because the storm’s winds toppled towers.

Democrats have said they will make improving emergency communications a priority when they take control of Congress this week, though they have not said specifically what they will do, how much it will cost or how they will pay for it.

Most of the areas surveyed included cities and their surrounding communities, based on the assumption that in a major crisis emergency personnel from all local jurisdictions would respond.

The areas with the six best scores were judged “advanced” in all three categories. The cities with the lowest grades had reached the early implementation stage for only one category.

Area results

In the study, communities were judged in three categories: operating procedures in place, use of communications systems and how effectively local governments have coordinated in preparation for a disaster.

The study’s lowest grade is “early,” then progresses up through “intermediate” and “well-developed” to “advanced.”

In the Kansas City metropolitan area, the report found that emergency responders’ ability to communicate with each other was “well-developed” in three categories rated, but a step below the “advanced” grade given to top-scoring regions. Kansas City and New York received the same scores.

The Topeka area scored a top grade for actual usage of communications equipment, and had “well-developed” operating procedures and government coordination.