City prepares for emergencies
Local agencies are building up
security and emergency
supplies afterthe national terror
level rose to Level Orange
War hits home
Aimee Rudin
City/State Politics Reporter
Eugene city officials have recently
tightened security measures to help
protect citizens in the event of a terror
ist attack or other national emergency.
On March 17, President George
W. Bush announced a 48-hour dead
line for Saddam Hussein and his
family to leave Iraq. Following the
president’s announcement, the U.S.
Department of Homeland Security, in
cooperation with the Homeland Secu
rity Council, raised the national terror
level from an elevated risk of attack to
a high risk of attack — Level Orange.
As a result, cities, towns, school dis
tricts and other organizations in Ore
gon and nationwide raised their own
security and added to already substan
tial disaster plans.
This is not the first time the nation
has made preparations for emergen
cies. During the Gold War of the
1950s and 1960s, air raid sirens were
placed in public locations through
out towns, homeowners turned
basements into bomb shelters and
school children were taught “duck
and-cover” exercises, hiding under
their desks and covering their heads
in simulation of what to do in the
event of nuclear attack.
Fear of a terrorist attack has not
reached the drastic or personal levels
of the Gold War, but national and local
legislatures are beefing up protection
for border security, transportation,
critical infrastructure and public
health institutions.
The Lane County Sheriffs Office
has made efforts throughout the region
to tighten security at public buildings
and workplaces.
“While there is no known specific
threat in our region at this time, it is
prudent to upgrade our security prepa
rations to coincide with the Homeland
Security’s raised threat level,” Lane
County Sheriff Jan Clements said.
“Preparedness always make sense.”
Within Eugene, city officials are
working with public organizations
and the school districts to update
disaster plans.
Chuck Solin, emergency manager
for the city, said officials have imple
mented higher access regulations at
the Eugene Airport and have taken
other steps to safeguard transporta
tion, but he said the Northwest has not
received any actual terrorism threats.
“We’re certainly well aware of the
warnings, and we’re taking every step
necessary to be prepared, but until a
credible threat is determined, we are
holding steady and continuing with
normal business,” Solin said.
Officials inside the Eugene school
district emphasized the need to carry
on with business as usual.
“We are doing everything we can to
maintain schools as a very routine,
safe area for students,” Kelly Mclver,
communication coordinator for the
Eugene school district, said. “Students
do their best when they feel comfort
able and safe in their environments. ”
Mclver said every classroom and of
fice throughout the district keeps a reg
ularly updated emergency manual on
hand, and all schools are equipped
with kitchens and emergency sup
plies, including first aid equipment.
He added district schools are con
stantly prepared for emergencies, and
outside of trying to remain informed of
changing terror levels, the district is
not forming extensive plans for deal
ing with attack.
At the University, administrators
have been slightly more aggressive in
their preparation for emergencies. The
Department of Public Safety has been
providing primary departments on
campus with information about what
to do in case of an emergency. Univer
sity Housing has put together kits con
taining food and first aid equipment for
students living in residence halls.
DPS Interim Director Tom Hicks
said students should be protecting
themselves by learning about world
events, being informed of current situ
ations and staying on top of updates
and changes in the political climate.
“We need to be vigilant, but we
don’t necessarily need to be para
noid,” he said.
Contact the senior reporter
at aimeerudin@dailyemerald.com.
Hero
continued from page 1
2002, Rutman and a few volunteers
transported the supplies via cargo
ship, and then flew to Guatemala to
meet the ship and deliver the goods
to the villages.
“Some people have asked me if I
think it’s wrong to introduce technol
ogy to the indigenous people by bring
ing them computers,” Rutman said.
“My response is it’s already there, and
making it more accessible will help
give these people a voice and empow
er them.”
Rutman transferred to the Univer
sity in 1998 as an environmental
studies major and graduated in 2000.
As a student, he was heavily involved
in the Campus Recycling program as
a volunteer, and eventually as an in
tern. During his internship, he
worked with elementary schools to
develop a system for recycling milk
boxes. Karyn Kaplan, the director of
Campus Recycling, nominated Rut
man for the Volvo award.
“Matthew had a vision of making
use of as many resources as possible,”
Kaplan said.
Rutman is currendy a graduate stu
dent at Pacific University and wants
to teach in elementary school. Part
ners in Solidarity can be contacted at
681-7757. They accept donations of
computers, school and medical sup
plies, bicycles, clothing and other
household items.
“At such a young age, Matthew has
already seen the need to make a con
nection between continents,” said
Carol Schuler, a representative at
Haberman and Associates, the public
relations firm responsible for deter
mining the Volvo Award recipients.
Contact the reporter
atlindsaysauve@dailyemerald.com.
War
continued from page 1
terrorists, their harboring of terrorists,
their harboring of Iraqi leaders, and
their development of weapons of mass
destruction.”
Syrian officials deny they have
offered sanctuary to fleeing Iraqi
leaders and that they have devel
oped weapons of mass destruction.
The tough talk from Washington
has set off alarm bells in the Arab
world and left many wondering if Syr
ia is the next target for U.S invasion.
“There is, without question, a
strong element within the administra
tion that actually feels Syria should be
next,” said Alon Ben-Meir, a professor
of international relations at New York
University. “The escalation of this
type of rhetoric eventually
assumes a life of its own.”
But a senior U.S. official, speaking
on the condition of anonymity, said
there are no plans, even tentative
ones, for military action against Syria.
Rather, he said, the saber-rattling is in
tended to convince the Syrians to re
fuse safe haven to Iraq’s fallen leader
ship and crack down on militant
Islamic groups, especially Hezbollah
and Islamic Jihad.
The idea here, the official said, is to
remove “another excuse” for the Israeli
government of Prime Minister Ariel
Sharon to not agree to conduct peace
negotiations with the Palestinians.
British officials on Monday ruled
out military action against Syria.
“There are no plans whatsoever to
invade Syria,” Prime Minister Tony
Blair told the House of Commons.
Imad Moustapha, Syria’s deputy
ambassador to the United States, ac
cused U.S. officials of trying to divert
attention from looting and other prob
lems in Iraq.
“The human catastrophes that
are taking place in Iraq today are
really embarrassing lots of people
in this administration. And the
only way to deal with them is to di
vert attention,” he said on NBC’s
‘Meet the Press.’ “They will keep on
doing this and accusing Syria of
things that Syria is not doing, just
to divert attention.”
The Bush administration’s
drumbeat against Syria started in
late March, when Defense Secre
tary Donald Rumsfeld accused Syr
ia of sending night-vision goggles
and other war material to Iraq.
Rumsfeld expanded his list of griev
ances on Monday, saying Syria has
been testing chemical weapons
over the past 12 to 15 months, as
well as permitting attacks on U.S.
forces in Iraq.
© 2003, Knight Ridder/Tribune
Information Services. Knight Ridder
Newspapers correspondent Fawn Vrazo
in London contributed to this report
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