By Associated Press
Montgomery, AL – State Homeland Security Department officials say Alabama is more prepared for an emergency than it was five years ago but still has work to do. Jim Walker, director of the state agency, said his department has worked with local, state and federal officials on emergency readiness since the September eleven 2001 terrorist attacks. Improvements include major advances in communication between different branches of law enforcement and emergency prevention and response equipment. He said the state has also identified a list of 28 sites with the most potential for destruction, such as nuclear and chemical plants, to be placed on a federal critical infrastructure list. The assistant director of the department, Joe Davis, spoke yesterday at a meeting of the Rotary Club in Luverne. He urged people to talk to children about the attacks so that they will not be forgotten.