By DERRILL HOLLY
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON -- Members of the Senate called for Washington area leaders to improve their ability to respond together when an emergency threatens the region.
During a hearing Wednesday to examine how homeland security money is being spent in the District of Columbia, suburban Maryland and northern Virginia, lawmakers from both parties criticized the slow progress in coordination and planning.
“The region has yet to release a final version of the strategic plan,” said Sen. George V. Voinovich, chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce and the District of Columbia.
Besides the district and the state governments of Maryland and Virginia, there are 75 local jurisdictions operating in the National-Capital Region. There are also scores of government agencies and military bases that could play a role in an emergency.
Local officials said their ability to work together has improved, but only limited progress has been made on solving problems like communications compatibility and information sharing information among the various public safety agencies.
“The people who live here, no question, deserve better than that,” said Sen. Daniel K. Akaka.
While the Department of Homeland Security has a regional office, its director, Thomas Lockwood, would defer control to officials in the local jurisdiction where an emergency occurs.
He told the panel that while response capabilities have improved since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the Pentagon, more work, and perhaps more money, are needed.
“We still have a long way to go,” Lockwood said.
Officials are still trying to figure out how to credential key personnel from the region’s 300,000 member federal workforce so they will be able to move around during an emergency and keep the federal government running. Public safety personnel from dozens of nearby jurisdictions might need similar credentials, Lockwood said.
With memories of the Sept. 11 terror attacks and hurricanes Katrina and Rita still vivid in their minds, officials hope to have the framework of a strategic plan completed by August, said D.C. Deputy Mayor Edward Reiskin, who oversees the city’s public safety agencies.