Disaster exercise headed to Los Angeles port

Disaster exercise headed to Los Angeles port The second day of a three-day multiagency disaster exercise will see a mock chemical weapons attack in the Hollywood Hills and a simulated cruise ship siege at the Port of Los Angeles.
   Hosted by the California National Guard, Operation Vector is designed around multiple scenarios involving the use of chemical weapons, terrorist attacks and natural disaster. The goal is to test how well National Guard units coordinate with other law enforcement agencies.
   Hazmat teams from the Los Angeles Police Department, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, and the FBI are joining National Guard teams from California, Colorado and Nevada for the exercise.
   Today's simulation at the Port of Los Angeles will see a Coast Guard cutter stand in for a cruise ship that has been taken over by terrorists.
   Tuesday's scenarios took place at the Museum of Tolerance in downtown Los Angeles and simulated a terrorist chemical attack in the aftermath of a major earthquake.
   While designed to be relatively low-key and invisible to civilians, Tuesday's scenario did arouse some public concern over the use of military Blackhawk helicopters within the city.
   Tomorrow the exercise will shift to the Universal Studios attraction facility for a simulation involving mass casualties resulting from the collision of two airplanes over the city.