Todays Emergency Management Efforts Make History of Bomb Shelters, Air Raid Sirens

You dont have to travel far in Southern Nevada to find relics left over from Clark Countys Cold War past.

A bomb shelter, built 10 feet underground in the southwest part of the valley, still exists and was designed to house county government command operations in the event of a nuclear attack on the valley. Some of its 1960s-era supplies -- including jumpsuits, radios and Army cots -- are now on exhibit at Clark Countys Heritage Museum on Boulder Highway.

Civil defense sirens also dot the rooftops of a handful of schools, fire stations and other local buildings. The sirens sounded every Saturday for years as part of local air raid tests, but officials say a lot has changed since the Cold War in terms of preparing for emergencies.

We no longer wrap our efforts around the possibility of having to deal with a single catastrophic event like a nuclear bomb, said Jim OBrien, Clark Countys Emergency Management Coordinator. Instead, we plan for more realistic scenarios caused by natural disasters such as an earthquake or flood or perhaps a man-made problem like an accident or even an act of terrorism.

During the Cold War, Clark County and other communities across the country organized networks of shelters as part of efforts guided by the U.S. Civil Defense Preparedness Agency, the predecessor of todays Federal Emergency Management Agency. Depending on where you lived or worked, you would be assigned a shelter to go to in case of emergency.

Today, however, local and federal agencies coordinate their efforts with volunteer groups like the American Red Cross to make the most efficient use of resources and expertise.

The Red Cross is our point of contact for all volunteer organizations in Southern Nevada, OBrien said. If theres a need to shelter people, we rely on the Red Cross. If the Red Cross cant fill the need, then it reaches out to other agencies in the community.

Technology also has changed the way officials communicate with the public in times of emergency. The news media and the Emergency Alert System, which allows government officials to access local radio and TV airwaves during an emergency, are the key tools in keeping the community informed. The Internet, electronic pagers and cell phones also are up and coming avenues.

The old air raid sirens just told people something was happening, OBrien said. They didnt tell you whats wrong, how long the situation will last or what you should do to protect yourself. Our goal today is to give you a lot more information.