Operation Golden Phoenix in California | 07.18.2007 | 06:45:24 | Views: 8698 | ID: July 18 '07: In California, the eight-day training exercise Golden Phoenix has gathered more than 60 law enforcement and response agencies to simulate a magnitude-7.9 earthquake, the Wittier Daily News reported. Organizers hope to test the communications abilities of those participating in the event. According to the Whittier Daily, "Twenty communications channels will be used by law enforcement agencies, spanning satellite, cell phone, global positioning systems and data transfer. ... [T]here will be emergency drills at the Rose Bowl, the Forum in Inglewood and a mall in Hawthorne involving 1,000 Marines playing the roles of displaced citizens and angry looters." The drill began as a major earthquake struck Northern Japan killing at least a half dozen people, destroying buildings and damaging a nuclear reactor which spilt radioactive fluid into the ocean waters nearby. In the aftermath of the earthquake, more than 10,000 people had to evacuated from the area while Japanese emergency officials worked to bring supplies into the disaster area. Officials in California said they hope that Operation Golden Phoenix's results will help them learn how to respond better - taking into account also the lessons learned from their Japanese counterparts.
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