by Sabrina Salas Matanane, KUAM News Tuesday, October 16, 2007 Subscribe to Sabrina's newsfeed   E-mail this article Printable version KUAM Toolbar Web Widgets Get RSS headlines

At 3 this afternoon a final media briefing of the day was held back at Ground Zero for TOPOFF-4. Governor Felix Camacho announced the large-scale homeland security exercise was still in play and will remain as such through the evening. With the heads of the various Government of Guam agencies in tow, the head of the Guam National Guard, Major General Donald Goldhorn, took the stage.

The officer would announce the latest details surrounding the extent of the contamination from the simulated "dirty bomb" (an explosive with a radiological component added). "They are now making a more defined assessment as to the extent of radiation, the pattern of fallout as well and that will be forthcoming," Goldhorn said of the mock emergency situation.

A radiological dispersal device is to be understood as not being a nuclear attack. An RDD is a conventional explosive that upon detonation releases radioactive material into the surrounding area. Although it does not cause the type of catastrophic damage associated with a nuclear detonation - there are severe rescue, health, and long-term decontamination concerns associated with an RDD.

Also participating in TOPOFF-4 are individuals acting as reporters and photographers that are actually reporting on the incident as part of a virtual news operation. This part of the drill is designed to test the communications and responses of the players tasked with dealing with the media.