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Andrew Johnson
Mighty Poster
Joined: 25 Jul 2005
Posts: 1919
Location: Derbyshire
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 Posted: Thu Apr 13, 2006 11:30 am Post subject: Capitol Power Outage - Signpost for Next 9/11? |
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I received this
from a contact on my mailing list. It may be nothing - but here is the info,
just in case in pans out. Delete it if you think it's nonsense!! Fine by me!
Forward if you think important.
Listen to the 1st
section, after the "headlines". The power outage was reported by
Reuters and others:
Power
outage prompts U.S. Capitol evacuation
Mon Apr 3, 2006
6:38 PM BST
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Capitol was evacuated for about an
hour on Monday after electricity was briefly lost, putting much of the
building in the dark.
Lawmakers, staff and credentialed journalists were permitted to
reenter the building at about 1:15 p.m. after power had been restored,
though tourists were not immediately allowed back in.
There was no immediate word on what caused the outage at about
noon. Capitol Police said the matter was being investigated.
The chief of staff for Senate Republican Leader Bill Frist said
both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate were evacuated
because of the widespread blackout. Neither was in session at the
time.
"It's routine procedure to evacuate the building," said
spokesman Eric Ueland.
A Department of Homeland Security official said it was a
"simple power outage" that only affected the Capitol not
other buildings.
While the cause was not immediately known, there has been extensive
construction nearby for a new underground visitor's centre.
Alarms went off on both sides of the Capitol at midday and people
were ordered to leave.
U.S. Capitol police directed people to move away from the building
and across the street, where they stood in a light drizzle mingling
with people protesting the immigration bill under debate in the
Senate.
(Additional reporting by Richard Cowan and Susan Cornwell)
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© Reuters 2006. All rights reserved. Republication or
redistribution of Reuters content, including by caching, framing or
similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written
consent of Reuters. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered
trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the
world.
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[/html]
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Andrew
Ask the Tough Questions, Folks! |
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planetfrog
Minor Poster
Joined: 22 Aug 2005
Posts: 52
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| Posted: Thu Apr 13, 2006 11:55 am Post subject: |
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More links here. I listened to the interview on the weekend, not sure what to make of it either. Spooky.
http://www.thehill.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/032906/tu nnels.html
| Quote: |
Some officers are trained to patrol tunnels, police say
By Jackie Kucinich
A select group of U.S. Capitol Police have undergone special training to access the miles of utility tunnels underneath the Capitol complex, according to a police spokeswoman.
The spokeswoman, however, would not provide further detail about how the tunnels are protected because of national-security concerns.
“Specific information regarding our capabilities in this area cannot be discussed, as this is a security-related matter,” said the spokeswoman, Sgt. Kimberly Schneider.
The Washington, D.C., fire department, which serves the Capitol campus, also says it is equipped to respond to any emergency involving the tunnels. Alan Etter, a spokesman for the department, said firefighters possess the training and equipment necessary should they need to enter the tunnel system.
“We have just completed training involving the large underground steam tunnels that run throughout the city,” he said. “We have had limited exposure to the tunnels under the Capitol; however, they are the same as the [General Services Administration] tunnels.”
The comments came in response to questions about what the U.S. Capitol Police are doing to secure the tunnels.
Ten Architect of the Capitol employees who work in the Capitol Power Plant tunnels asserted that there is no police presence in the underground tunnels in a letter sent to four members of Congress nearly two weeks ago.
The tunnels provide steam to heat and cool the Capitol campus and run from the Capitol Power Plant to the House and Senate office buildings, the Capitol and other, surrounding buildings.
The letter contends that the police are not permitted to patrol the tunnels because of their dangerous conditions, which include crumbling concrete that could fall at any time and large amounts of carcinogenic asbestos.
“The United States Capitol Police has made the entire tunnel system off limits to their staff because of the safety conditions as well as the lack of communication because phones and radios do not work in the tunnels,” the workers wrote.
When asked about the concerns raised in the letter, the police spokeswoman said only that some members of the force have undergone special training and that the training allows them to access the tunnel system. Rank-and-file officers, however, are forbidden from entering utility tunnels because of the hazardous conditions.
In the letter, the workers said that the police policy presents a security problem.
“This should be a real concern to the Congress and Senate as all buildings on the complex can be entered through the steam tunnels,” they wrote. “Realize that it is on a regular basis [that] we see people in the tunnels that we don’t know why they are down there.”Citing documents received from the police, the letter adds: “The Capitol police not only won’t go down there [but] they stated ‘We won’t let our dogs down.’”
Safety precautions regarding the tunnels have been taken in the past for special events, according to Eva Malecki, a spokeswoman for the Architect of the Capitol (AoC), the office responsible for managing the buildings and utilities on the Capitol campus. To prepare for inaugurations or State of the Union speeches, manholes are sealed to prevent unauthorized entry.
“After Sept. 11, 2001, there was more emphasis on securing [the tunnels] for security purposes,” Malecki said. “The AoC has started replacing the old hatches with new ones that have emergency-release features that secure the hatches from the outside, but allow egress from inside the tunnels in an emergency.”
D.C. firefighters already use self-contained breathing apparatuses, or breathing masks, that protect them from asbestos and other particles.
The offices of Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) confirmed that they have received the letter from the employees. The offices of Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and Sen. Wayne Allard (R-Colo.) did not confirm that the letter had arrived. |
More links through here:
http://global-news-matrix.blogspot.com/2006/04/is-us-capitol-building- next.html
| Quote: | Is the US Capitol building next?
Capitol Power Plant employees: Capitol Police banned from entering tunnels beneath US Congress….Unknown people seen in the tunnels
Read more
flashback: US Capitol evacuated after mysterious electrical power outage on Monday
Read more
flashback: Electricity cut at World Trade Center on weekend before 9/11
Read more
flashback: Security level abruptly lowered at WTC days before attack ... Bomb-sniffing dogs suddenly withdrawn
Read more |
Last edited by planetfrog on Thu Apr 13, 2006 1:21 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Andrew Johnson
Mighty Poster
Joined: 25 Jul 2005
Posts: 1919
Location: Derbyshire
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| Posted: Thu Apr 13, 2006 12:06 pm Post subject: |
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PF,
Thanks for the additional info - good to know the bloggers are still keeping abreast of things...!
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Andrew
Ask the Tough Questions, Folks! |
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TRUTH
Moderate Poster
Joined: 15 Feb 2006
Posts: 376
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| Posted: Thu Apr 13, 2006 12:50 pm Post subject: |
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Pepco Energy Services, a unit of Potomac Electric Power Co. of Washington, was awarded a $120 million contract by the General Services Administration to supply electric power to 105 major federal government facilities in the Washington area. Under the terms of the 25-month contract, these federal facilities are guaranteed to save more than $6 million over what Pepco would have charged them with a standard rate. Pepco will manage the power supply for such Washington landmarks as the U.S. Capitol and the Lincoln Memorial, as well as agencies ranging from the U.S. State Department to the U.S. Department of Justice. The newly contracted facilities use more than 1.5 billion kilowatt hours of electricity annually, which is equivalent to the amount of power needed to serve more than 125,000 homes.
http://www.pepco-services.com/news/08_10_01.htm |
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Jane
Moderate Poster
Joined: 23 Aug 2005
Posts: 312
Location: Otley, West Yorks, England
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| Posted: Sat Apr 15, 2006 7:55 am Post subject: Power Outage |
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Sorry, haven't really read this thread yet - will later, but it has just reminded me that when I went to New York not long before 9/11 (it was June/July 2001) they kept going on about these power outages on the radio / tv. I can't even remember if they were taking place in New York or all over the States - I just remember thinking there seemed something "odd" about it to me. Also I used to think they were called "Power Outrages"! Maybe it's connected with the fact that the hotel I was staying in was charging me about the equivelent of £5 every time I used the iron or put the tv on - as I found out when I got my bill!
_________________
Romans 12:2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
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Andrew Johnson
Mighty Poster
Joined: 25 Jul 2005
Posts: 1919
Location: Derbyshire
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| Posted: Sat Apr 15, 2006 9:43 am Post subject: |
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Jane,
I think the examples that you brought up are one of many "Power Outrages" that are going on in the world. The unneccessary burning of fossil fuels is another!
I'm going to nick that phrase!!
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Andrew
Ask the Tough Questions, Folks! |
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Jane
Moderate Poster
Joined: 23 Aug 2005
Posts: 312
Location: Otley, West Yorks, England
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| Posted: Sat Apr 15, 2006 10:00 pm Post subject: Power Outrage! |
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Hi Andrew
It is only quite recently that I became aware of my "misreading" of this word - as I had just sort of "mis-heard it" in my mind up until then - we had a message round at work from IT Support, warning of a "Power Outage." I shouted out in the office "Has anyone else got this email from Scott about a "Power Outrage!"
"What did you just say?" asked Theresa.....!!!
_________________
Romans 12:2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
http://www.wytruth.org.uk/ |
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markblue
New Poster
Joined: 09 Apr 2006
Posts: 3
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| Posted: Sun Apr 16, 2006 2:25 am Post subject: |
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| Could be nothing but like everyone says these type of things were noticed AFTER 9/11 so it can be only a good thing that people are picking up on these stories now. Hope i`m wrong but for me all the signs are pointing towards another 9/11 type disaster. |
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