State, federal coordination broke down during anthrax scare last week

ATLANTA - There was a breakdown in communications among state and federal agencies last Friday when a suspicious white powder initially tested positive for anthrax at Fort McPherson. <br> <br> The FBI sent the material, which turned out not to be anthrax, to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, instead of allowing a specially trained National Guard unit to test the substance. <br> <br> State officials met Thursday to review the response. <br> <br> Governor Barnes sought to minimize the episode during a news conference and said he doubts it made any difference in how the incident was handled. <br> <br> The governor told reporters, ``I won&#39;t say there was a lack of coordination. I will say it does point up the need for passing the bioterrorism bill.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> He added, ``Coordination could always be better, and that bill allows us to put in some further methods to allow better coordination.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> The measure has passed the Senate and is pending before the House. <br> <br> Barnes said the event was reviewed earlier Thursday in a joint meeting between state and federal authorities, who discussed how to make sure the information is better coordinated. <br> <br> National Guard officials say the FBI decision delayed test results by a full day and left nearly 1,000 people who work in the building where the substance was found unnecessarily worried about their risk of exposure. <br> <br> Major Jeff Allen is head of the fourth Weapons of Mass Destruction-Civil Support Team based at Dobbins Air Force Reserve Base in Marietta. <br> <br> In an interview with The Atlanta Constitution, Allen said ``With our equipment, we could have given them a 99-point-nine percent probability result that night instead of waiting 24 hours.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Officials at the Georgia Emergency Management Agency, which has a round-the-clock communications center to be the state&#39;s hub for terrorist attacks and natural disasters, say they first learned of the anthrax scare on local television news.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2002/2/198175