<home> -- <press releases> -- <April 24, 2007> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—October 17, 2007 – Congresswoman Madeleine Z. Bordallo today was briefed by top officials at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) about actions and early lessons learned from the Top Officials (TOPOFF 4) exercise currently being conducted on Guam. She was also given a tour of FEMA’s National Response Coordination Center (NRCC) to see the various elements of the federal government assisting local first responders in the exercise on Guam. The TOPOFF 4 exercise is being held from the October 15 through October 24. TOPOFF is a biennial exercise run by the Department of Homeland Security, and this is the first time it has been held in a United States territory. TOPOFF 4 is a congressionally mandated emergency preparedness exercise. The exercise will focus on the simulated deployment and simultaneous detonation of three radiological “dirty bomb” devices within the United States. Simulated detonations will occur across the United States including on Guam and in Portland, Oregon, and Phoenix, Arizona. The exercise will test the capabilities of Federal, state and local government, and private sector officials in their ability to prepare, defend, respond, and recover to a large scale emergency event. “This exercise illustrates the importance of training and preparedness for an event,” Congresswoman Bordallo said. “Early indications are that our local first responders have done a tremendous job in responding to this exercise. I commend their efforts and hope that all participants benefited from this training exercise.”
### Contact: Joseph E. Duenas in joseph.duenas@mail.house.gov or cathy.gault@mail.house.gov |
