Orlando water supply...has this been posted yet?

[SusanD]

I saw this on my yahoo this morning:
Threat to Orlando Water Supply Probed
Mon May 20,12:23 AM ET

ORLANDO, Fla. (Reuters) - Federal and state authorities were investigating an unspecified threat to the water supply in Orlando, home to Walt Disney World, and alerted the public Sunday as a precaution.


Officials characterized the threat as vague and unsubstantiated, but said it was being taken seriously.

Orlando, also home to Universal Studios Orlando, is a destination for as many as 50 million tourists a year, and since Sept. 11 Florida officials have worried that the city's international profile might invite an attack.

"People know (Orlando), no matter what country you go to around the world," said Joyce Dowley, spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. She added: "I want to stress there is nothing specific about the threat.

Officials said the FBI (news - web sites) alerted local and state law enforcement agencies Sunday, and water treatment facilities throughout Orlando and Orange County were locked down and under guard.

A spokesman for Orlando Regional Utilities said the water supply had been tested Sunday and revealed no evidence of tampering.

"Is it a concern? Yes. Are we taking it seriously? Yes," Orange County Sheriff Kevin Beary told a press conference.

The FBI would not comment on the nature of the threat or how the bureau learned of it.


Any feedback?

 

[peedeejones]

I for one am freaked out by it. I have been thinking about it since I heard it last night.

Jen

 

[beattyfamily]

I just heard this on the 12:00 news and came to see if anyone posted it.

It's scary and sad.

I would rather us know and be on alert then get back to the old routine and think nothing's ever going to happen again. That would be too dangerous!

 

[Pete W.]

Except that Orlando is not actually home to WDW, it's just nearby. And WDW (as mentioned in some of these recent reports) has its own water supply.

 

[Bob O]

Its not surprising in the least and should be expected. With the orlando area home to some of the busiest tourist attractions in the world you would have to assume any terrorist or nutcase looking for his15 minutes of fame would target the area as they would get worldwide attention for their actions.
You just hope the authorities in the area and tourists are on guard and report anything they think may be suspicious.

 

[DebbieB]

There is a water plant near my home in Pittsburgh. I noticed police cars outside frequently since 9/11. They covered the tanks a few years ago, they used to be open.

 

[Testtrack321]

Actually surprised it an attack hasn't happened yet.

 

[Bstanley]

The good news is that it turns out to be a lot harder to cause a serious health problem by messing with a water supply than you might imagine - basically because there is a LOT of water involved, and the processing the water goes through removes many of the potential threats.

The best defense boils down to just keeping a watchful eye on the processing plants - ie making sure no Ryder trucks park next to it...

 

[addicted_to_WDW]

Not shocked or frightened. I live outside of Washington, DC and have gotten used to potential threats. It's sad, but that's the way it is. I was a basket case on 9/11, but you can only live so long in fear.

 

[SeaDog]

I work with a Central Florida law enforcement agency and was present during the Sunday morning meetings on this particular threat and how the information was going to be handled. If I can leave anyone who reads these posts with one thought it would be that the greater Orlando area always has been and continues to be one of the safest tourist destinations in the world. The local Sheriff takes crime on any level quite seriously and deals with with any issue affecting our community aggressively. There was some concern about going public with the information but the bottom line is, it was the right thing to do. The concensus being that since this particular threat named a location and a specific target the public had a right to know. It made more sense to have the information presented to the public from the agencies handling the incident than having it leak out through the rumor mill and become bigger than it really was.

This is a classic darned if you do and darned if you don't situation and most certainly, you want to avoid the Chicken Little syndrome. However, in this case it was prudent to pass the information on to the public. (Actually, it is all part of the Homeland Security concept... it's the ultimate neighborhood watch... we have lots of eyes and ears out there looking for unusual activity.) To everyone's credit the press and the public have acted responsibly since the information was released. From my perspective, for the most part, it has been reported fairly by the media and no one is running out buying truckloads of bottled water. The above post about tainting a water supply was also right on the money. It would really be difficult to do.

With all of this said, (yeah, I am a windy old man), anyone considering coming to Central Florida, for whatever reason, should not worry about the local water supply or any other issue for that matter. As previously stated... I would wager that the Orlando area is probably the safest tourist destination in the world. The local constabularies are aware of the threat and have made the appropriate response. I would be curious to know how the international media has reported this incident. Any links to articles and stories would be appreciated.


http://www.ocso.com/pio/press/releases/water.html

 

[Janet2k]

Everyone, thank you for the information provided in this thread. You made me feel better.