9/11 lessons help NY survive

It turns out many of the skills needed for the one emergency are helpful in the other, they said. ‘‘What we learned is that if you prepare and practice and work out jointly the protocols of who does what, when you have an emergency, it does work,’’ New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg (R) said on Friday.

‘‘Our emergency response was good, reacted well,’’ President Bush said. ‘‘I doubt…the response would have been as good prior to September 11.’’

Retired Air Force Col. Randall Larsen, a private homeland security consultant said: ‘‘From what I saw, it was a marvellous response, and it comes in part from the exercises that have gone on.’’

When the lights went out starting just after 4 pm, officials and people on the street feared a terrorist attack.

Within minutes, two dozen Homeland Security Department officials met in their Washington headquarters, and using practiced protocols they contacted electric power companies, governors, police departments and intelligence agencies. By 5 pm the department had released a statement that ‘‘initial reports indicate this was a power failure unrelated to terrorism.’’ (LAT-WP)