[News from Congressman Chris Smith - 4th New Jersey
Report Says Agencies Still Not Ready
to Respond and Protect from Anthrax
 
Smith, who requested investigation, wants "off-the-shelf"
responses prepared for a number of possible weapons

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Chris Smith (R-Hamilton) said today’s release of a major government investigation of the fall 2001 anthrax crisis underscores the continued need for the federal government to develop a comprehensive database of ready-to-go responses to potential attacks utilizing a wide variety of chemical, biological, and radiological weapons.

The 80-plus page report, from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), was requested nearly two years ago by Smith in an effort to ensure lessons are learned from the 2001 crisis that emanated from the John K. Rafferty Post Office on Route 130 in Hamilton.

Nearly three years after the anthrax attack, the GAO criticized the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Postal Service charging that neither agency has put forth clear and appropriate guidelines on how best to respond to an anthrax attack or outlining what should trigger an evacuation when anthrax has been detected.

"This report is an engraved invitation that demands the Postal Service and the CDC issue the guidelines and protocols needed to best inform agency leaders and personnel on how to deal with this should there be another incident in the future," said Smith who worked closely with federal, state and postal union officials to help those employed at the Rafferty Facility as it processed the anthrax letters.

"It is a catalyst for each agency to finalize the revisions that have been underway for three years, get the job done and make sure we have a real lessons learned so our people are better protected.", he said.

Smith also said the admissions in the report by the two agencies that they would have done things differently had they known the health risks, were "especially devastating".

"During the attack, I was amazed that some health officials refused to believe that minute anthrax spores could escape a plain, white envelope held shut with tape. The GAO Report released today says this misconception and a lack of understanding about aerosolized anthrax prevented the United States Postal Service, emergency responders, and others from fully responding to meet the health needs of those who were exposed to the anthrax, " he said. (more)

The GAO report did conclude the USPS made the health of its employees a priority, but that "as long as public health agencies advised the Postal Service that health risks to its employees were minimal, it kept the facilities opened."

"The major problem was that health officials at CDC and elsewhere were relying on outdated, untrue information," Smith said. The lack of accurate, reliable scientific and medical information at our nation’s lead public health agency underscores the need for an all-out effort to ensure we have the most accurate, up-to-date information possible and that it is readily accessible should it be needed to respond to a future attack," he added.

The report did say that information sharing between federal, state, and local agencies "has been greatly improved with the creation of the Homeland Security Department." For example, when the deadly chemical ricin was detected at a mail facility in South Carolina last fall, DHS took the lead in handling the response.

The report was also critical of the USPS, especially with regard to developing comprehensive guidelines and response plans for potential future attacks. It went on to say that communications problems stemming from long-standing mistrust between postal management and employees hampered a steady flow of medical information. According to the GAO, the USPS is preparing a final "all hazards" emergency response plan for release this fall, and is also taking action to ensure better communication with employees and to disclose more rather than less information during emergencies.

Smith also pointed out that the GAO report found that the Postal Service still hasn’t developed policies and procedures for paying for emergency medical services for postal employees. "In 2001, Hamilton’s Robert Wood Johnson Hospital was a terrific neighbor providing treatment and testing for over 1000 postal employees, with no questions asked. But it took the Post Office 8 months to pay and then they didn’t even pay in full. To hear today that the Postal Service still doesn’t have a payment policy in place to pay those who come to their aid in an emergency is quite disturbing. There are only so many times you can go to the well and impose on others to help," he said.

"With nearly three years passing since the 2001 anthrax attacks, the USPS must work with all haste to complete a comprehensive, detailed, and accessible emergency response plan that takes into accounts the recommendations made by the GAO," Smith said.

The USPS has developed a more proactive response to potential detections of anthrax or other contaminants and is working to install equipment that would detect anthrax at all of its processing facilities throughout the nation.

"As I have done since the fall 2001 attacks, I will continue to lead the fight in Congress to ensure our government is better able to prevent and respond to any terrorist attacks. I also look forward to continuing to work with local postal officials, employees, and customers to ensure our Hamilton Post Office reopens in the near future; and that our mail stream, employees, and postal workers are protected," Smith said.

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For Immediate Release: September 9, 2004
Contact:  Dave Kush (202) 225-3765