SocraticGadfly: Boise alleged ground zero for terror attack in West

April 06, 2008

Boise alleged ground zero for terror attack in West

Hide them thar taters! According to a Department of Homeland Security study, Boise, Idaho was the only western city to rank in the top 10 of 132 cities most vulnerable to terrorist attack.

The survey was developed by Walter W. Piegorsch, a professor at the University of Arizona, with help from Susan Cutter at the University of South Carolina and Frank Hardisty at Pennsylvania State University and assessed the vulnerability of each city to a terrorist attack based on three things: socioeconomics, infrastructure, and geophysical hazards such as potential for flooding or fire, the story notes. According to Piegorsch, the analysis measured not whether a city might be an attractive target to a terrorist but rather how well it could withstand an attack. And Boise is just downstream of a major Snake River reservoir.

Hell, in that case, Sacramento, Calif., (flooding from Folsom Reservoir being breached) and Las Vegas, Nev. (water cutoff from Hoover Dam being breached and eliminating Lake Mead) should rank ahead of Boise.

I suspect pandering/fearmongering to libertarian conservatives in places like Idaho who are none too comfy with DHS over things like Real ID.

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