'Community Dialogue on Terrorism' set for Nov. 1 in Webster

By Lisa Majors-Duff

The town meeting, which will be held at Southwestern Community College beginning at 6:30 p.m., is designed "to relieve the concerns and anxieties that have arisen since the events of Sept. 11," said Lorna Barnett, Community Health Link director.

"This event is for people who have always known how to protect their families and now are without the tools and without the means for doing that," she said. "We hope to be able to give them back some tools."

Tony Childress of WRGC-AM Radio in Sylva will serve as the event's emcee. In addition to introducing guest speakers, he will moderate the question-and-answer session.

Panelists and special audience members invited to participate include Randall Turpin, health department director; Bob Cochran, Department of Social Services director; representatives of Smoky Mountain Center; area physicians, including those from the Office of Infectious Diseases at WestCare; Jackson County Sheriff Jim Cruzan; public school representatives; county emergency services personnel; U.S. Postal Service employees; and members of the National Guard. Others may be added, Barnett said.

Members of the audience will be given an opportunity to ask questions and express concerns. The panel of community leaders and experts, who have all agreed to participate because "their phones are ringing off the hook," Barnett said, will be asked to provide answers.

"Jackson County residents will be able to find out what will happen here in the event of a local threat," Barnett said. "We'll find out how area agencies, law enforcement and the medical community are preparing to respond.

"Anyone who is really concerned should plan to attend," she continued. "If one of our panelists doesn't know an answer to a question, hopefully we will be able to say that we are working on the situation and it is being given careful, planned consideration."

Sheriff Cruzan provided Jackson County commissioners with a preview of how his department is preparing for a possible terrorist threat during their meeting Oct. 18.

"We had our first biochemical scare yesterday, and we are trying to keep it low key," he told the board.

The incident occurred in Glenville when a resident reported he had found a powdery substance on his vehicle's steering wheel. Samples of the substance were collected by members of the state's Hazardous Materials Team and transported to a health department laboratory in Raleigh for analysis, Cruzan said.

"The substance turned out not to be anthrax or any other harmful chemical," he said. "It was nothing, but we considered it an actual threat and took all necessary precautions until we determined it was nothing."

The vehicle and the man who found the substance were both decontaminated with a mixture of bleach and water, the sheriff said. Though he is still unsure of the origin of the substance, he said it could have come from the vehicle's airbag, which is located in the steering wheel. "We are coming up to speed with all this very quickly," Cruzan said.

But to truly be prepared, the sheriff said he needs funds in the amount of $5,000 to upgrade radio equipment and to purchase anthrax testing kits and fully-contained biohazard suits. "I'm not asking for fat," he said. "I'm asking for what I need. Time is catching up with us, commissioners."

Cruzan also told county leaders that he and Jackson County Schools Superintendent Mack McCary have developed plans for responding to a threat against any of the county's schools. A written plan is in place that details how school personnel should deal with strange mail and packages, unknown people visiting school campuses and daily checks by Sheriff's Department deputies.

"Children are the most important thing we have to protect," Cruzan said. "We can replace property, but the children have to be protected."

Many of the same agencies planning to participate in the Nov. 1 town meeting in Webster are also taking part in a briefing provided by the Hazard Material Regional Response Team from the Asheville Fire Department, Cruzan said. A similar meeting is planned for Oct. 31 at the Ramsey Center in Cullowhee.

The sheriff encouraged local residents to assist him and his officers by being more aware of their surroundings.

"I really think a little heightened awareness would not be a bad thing," he said. "I don't believe there is any reason to be alarmed or panicked. That would be part of the terrorists' plan."

Though state and federal assistance would be available if Jackson County were hit with anything from a biological, incendiary or nuclear incident, the sheriff assured area residents that he has a plan in place for dealing with this issues.

"We can get the job done locally," Cruzan said. "I'm ready."

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