The city of Madison has yet to solidify plans to handle disasters such as ice storms, tornados, and dirty bombs and held a panel discussion on local disaster planning Monday featuring Larry Pasha, co-chair of the Public Safety Review Board. The panel is part of the \Cookies and Milk"" series through the Community Services Committee of the Wisconsin Union Directorate.
The city of Madison is creating plans for how to prepare for and react to disasters of any type, whether natural or terror-induced. There are a number of guidelines and protocols the city would follow in the event of a disaster.
""I do feel safe,"" said Associate Director of the Community Service Committee Alice Fung. ""The city is really great in that they are willing to listen to what people have to say and make changes to their plan accordingly.""
UW-Madison would also have its own plan for when disasters occur, according to Pasha. The plan would be tailored to fit the needs of the student population who may not be familiar with the city, and should take into consideration the living situations of students.
However, many students may be unaware of what a specific university disaster plan may be. ""I haven't been told about too many plans, unless you count fire evacuations,"" said Jerry Wilke, a UW-Madison sophomore majoring in mathematics.
In the case of a dirty bomb producing radioactive winds, experts would first evaluate whether an evacuation would be needed and then where the safest place for people to go would be. ""We're not just talking about plans here, we are talking about life and death choices."" Pasha said.
To ensure a disaster is handled as smoothly and with as few casualties as possible, it is recommended that people cooperate with officials in charge and listen to the radios or watch TV for updates.
""I think that in order for students to be safe, they should find out what the plan is during an emergency and build their response off of that. Ultimately they will make the decision as to what they want to do,"" Pasha said.
According to Pasha, the worst disaster that could occur in Madison would be an ice storm, as it lasts longer than a tornado and can affect a wider area.
""In a very severe ice-storm, everything stops and shuts down,"" Pasha said. ""They can last for days.\
