Preparing for the Worst

HULTON DEUTSCH COLLECTION/CORBIS Civil Defence and rescue vehicle in 1954 London’s tallest office building, the 50-storey Canary Wharf tower, held an evacuation drill for its 27 tenants and their 7,500 employees two weeks ago. The building was emptied in less than half an hour. That might be considered an accomplishment, except that people were given plenty of advance notice and were allowed to use the elevators. That sums up how London is handling preparations for possible terrorist attacks in the wake of Sept. 11 — well-meaning efforts masking serious questions about how vulnerable the British capital might be if terrorists make it their next target. In fact, some key emergency planning experts say the entire country is ill-prepared for a large-scale terrorist incident, particularly a chemical or biological attack.

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