City Room™ - Politics - Daley Defends City's Evacuation Plan

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City RoomTM Public Affairs coverage from our award-winning staff

Daley Defends City's Evacuation Plan
Produced by Ben Calhoun on Wednesday, July 23, 2008

(AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)

Chicago Mayor Richard Daley is defending the city's emergency evacuation plan. That's after a federal report said the city should be better prepared.

Unfiltered: Daley Press Conference

The federal report says the Chicago needs a better plan for how to move vulnerable populations, like the elderly, the disabled and the poor. It says in an evacuation those people could easily overwhelm public transit and questioned whether the city could meet those needs. Mayor Daley later defended the city, saying there are plans to help the vulnerable, but laughed at requests for more specifics.

DALEY: Can't tell the terrorist where you're going because if you do, then they set off alternative bombs. You just don't do that. I mean this is kind of common sense. These are getting funnier and funnier.

So there are plans.

DALEY: But we can't tell you. No. Because, in a sense that there are plans you put into motion. You can't be printing these plans. I'm sorry, you just can't.

Meantime, the federal report also suggests that the city needs to do a better job coordinating with surrounding cities, suburbs and states.