By Al Camp
Omak Chronicle staff

     Omak, WA - Oct. 16, 2001 - While the nation struggles to create a homeland defense, especially in light of FBI warnings of imminent terrorist retaliation for air strikes in Afghanistan, Okanogan County officials say they remain alert and ready to handle expected emergency.
     Possible targets around the county, including Grand Coulee and Chief Joseph dams, remain at the high alert status first instituted Sept. 11 following suspected terrorist attacks in New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania.
     Many county agencies are bracing for renewed attacks on U.S. soil that national leaders say are all but inevitable.
     Those actions could include breaching the dams or disrupting communications networks such as Verestar near Brewster, or could include a biological or chemical action against people in the area.
     "We have an emergency action plan, as all dams do," said Craig Sprankle, public affairs officer at Grand Coulee Dam. "That covers high releases of water, which is another way to say a breach of water. Basically, what it does is (trigger) a notification process, who do we talk to, how do we get the word out."
     Sprankle said in the last year the plan was exercised in a simulation, involving every dam and many organizations up and down the Columbia River.
     "Counties, emergency preparedness folks, State Patrol, state emergency folks, Army Corps of Engineers, anyone involved with the river and communities next to the river" were involved, said Sprankle. "Quite a few participated."
     Sheriff Mike Murray said he doubts Grand Coulee Dam could be breached. Tour guides there have said only a nuclear bomb could take out the dam, which was built and reinforced with the Cold War in mind, said the sheriff.
     "It would be a catastrophic event, there would be no doubt about that," said Murray.
     He said the emergency plan, which is about two inches thick, showed water would take about eight hours to affect towns on the Okanogan River, which would face flooding because of water being backed up from the high flow expected in the Columbia River.
     Brewster and Pateros would be most severely affected, said Murray, who gave an example of a worse-case scenario on the Okanogan River being five to six feet of water at Malott.
     "We would have a lot of time" if the dam was breached, said Murray of notifying towns down river.
     Though Murray said information he's heard indicated Chief Joseph Dam at Bridgeport could be breached if Grand Coulee Dam gave way, Sprankle said water would flow over all dams down river.
     "There is a possibility of topping all the dams," said Sprankle. "We'd be back to uncontrolled (flow) on the river."
     Sprankle said the Bureau of Reclamation, which operates Grand Coulee, does not speculate on what it will take to breach the dam.
     Sprankle said security remains at the same high level it's been since Sept. 11, with no one allowed on or inside the dam. The visitor center, located a quarter-mile away, remains open.
     Packages for the dam are received away from the dam. The laser light show ended Sept. 30 and is scheduled to start again Memorial Day weekend.
     Dave Lyngholm, Grand Coulee Dam's power office manager, said law enforcement officers from various jurisdictions are available to assist the dam, including those with the National Park Service and from Okanogan, Douglas and Grant counties, whose boundaries intersect at the dam.
     Murray said a deputy is stationed near the dam should he be needed.
     Though The Chronicle was unable to reach someone at Chief Joseph Dam for comment, the dam has been on high alert since Sept. 11, with the powerhouse and area around the dam being off limits. The dam is operated by the Army Corps of Engineers.
     Omak Police chief Larry Schreckengast said his department did receive a national teletype warning of possible threats to railways, specifically to Amtrak and to tunnels.
     "When I read that I got the impression it was for subways in the big cities," said Schreckengast. "It really did not have anything to do with our area. There are no major railways going through this area, or tunnels."
     He said the closest tunnel is on Alternate Highway 97 south of Chelan.
     The closest Amtrak service is in Wenatchee.
     Schreckengast said his department has gas masks for each officer, but he was unaware if any are available for the general public.
     He said he felt a biological or chemical attack is unlikely in the county, and would be more likely in a more populated area.
     Schreckengast said other than the warning about railroad tunnels, he's not received anything about any other possible dangers.
     The police chief said he was aware that vehicles entering the United States at the border with Canada are being thoroughly checked. He said there were delays of up to three hours at Blaine.
     Inspections at the border are more intense, say those traveling to and from Canada.
     "All we're saying publicly is that Border Patrol agents are on a heightened state of alert," said Virginia Kice, Immigration and Naturalization Service director of media relations on the West Coast (Washington, Alaska, Oregon, Nevada, California, Arizona, Hawaii and Guam).
     "We want to reassure people we are being very diligent in doing our duties," said Kice, who said delays should be expected at border crossings.
     She said a piece of picture identification is required to travel across the border. It can be a driver's license or passport.
     "If you are returning from abroad, you need to be able to satisfy an interview officer that you are making a truthful and legal admission to the U.S.," she said.
     Kice said she could not say specifically what steps INS has taken increasing security at the border since it would compromise those efforts.
     She said INS is working closely with the FBI in a supporting role in its investigation of terrorist activities in the United States.
     Sgt. Mike Saunders of the Washington State Patrol detachment in Okanogan said his troopers also are in a heightened sense of awareness.
     That includes looking at commercial vehicles a bit closer, especially tractor-trailer rigs carrying hazardous materials.
     He said some activities in larger cities include inspecting overpasses for bombs and other places were an explosion could disrupt traffic.
     "We don't have that problem here," he said.
     He said vehicles that are abandoned will get special attention, too.
     Murray said his department has done two things in being prepared for any terrorist activities that might reach the county.
     First, he and his officers pulled out chemical and biohazard plans.
     With chemicals, such as spills, deputies and fire departments work closely together.
     "We are dealing with chemicals all the time," said Murray, who said various departments practice for such spills.
     "If we have a chemical or biological problem, we will lock down the county," said Murray, who said people would be asked to stay inside their homes.
     "The big key will be knowing if we are being attacked," said Murray. "Once an attack is identified, we will contact the state Department of Emergency Management and the health department. They can come in with appropriate response" to any problems in the county.
     Murray said the deadliest chemical traveling through the county is chlorine.
     "It really doesn't matter what gas mask we have, they are going to be the wrong ones," speculated Murray about any attack in the county.
     He said besides dams, communications could be another target for terrorists.
     The only area of concern there would be Verestar near Brewster.
     An employee there said business is continuing as usual. The satellite communications company's area is cordoned off from the surrounding area.
     The second area being addressed is security at the courthouse, said Murray, who said a courthouse security committee was dropped in 1996 but recently reactivated.
     It has been looking at the emergency management plan in the Jane's Facility Security Handbook. The same publication is being used to guide security at other county buildings, such as hospitals and Forest Service offices, he said.
     "It's not just because of terrorist events, but security issues must be dealt with at the courthouse," said Murray.