Evening star., 1954-04-12
Experts Study
Evacuation in
H-bomb Attack
Troffic Group Offers
z Plans for Dispersal
Of Downtown Area

A committee of traffic experts
is trying to solve the difficult
problem of how to evacuate
Washington's congested areas in
the event of a hydrogen bomb
attack.
Headed by Washington I.
Cleveland, District of Columbia
Division secretary of the AAA,
the group is a subcommittee to
the commissioners advisory
committee on civil defense.
Working with Mr.. Cleveland are
John N. Robertson, District di-
rector of highways; George E.
Keneipp. director of vehicles and
traffic; Deputy Chief John j.
Agnew, head of the Metropolitan
Police Traffic Division, and off,
cials of Capital Transit and other
transportation services.
\ This committee. in existence
for several months, has been
meeting regularly. So far two
plans for tactical dispersal"
the civil defense name for
planned evacuation. have been
receiving the most considera-
ton.
Evauation Center.
Under one plan. a small down.
town area wiuld be designated
as the evacuation center. The
perimeter could be reached from
any point in the area by walk
ing not more than mile and q
quarter.
Buses and taxiS would congre-
gate at assembly points on the
outskirts Of the evacuation CEN
ter and transport people to the
suburbs. Only authorized We
hicles could move in the exacu-
alton center; all private cars
would stop and their drivers
would walk to the perimeter as
Sembly points.
The second plan calls for the
downtown area to be divided
into squares of two blocks each.
Taxi and buses would be as
signed squares where they would
pick up passengers for transport
tation to the suburbs. AS in
plan one. all private traffic would
be hated.
H. P. Goodwin, deputy director
OF the District Office of Civil De-
fense, points out that a success
full evacuation depends on a two
hour advance warning of an at
tack from the Eastern Defense
Command. At present, the mill
tary guarantees Washington only
Is minutes warning. The Civil
Defense Office emphasizes that
the present plan of taking refuge
in air raid shelters when the
warning siren sounds is still in
effect and will continue until
longer advance warnings are
available.
The subcommittee hopes to
have tactical dispersal plan
ready by then.
Other RevisiOns.
Mr.. Goodwin points to other re-
visions he believes will be neces-
sary in our civil defense against
the H-bomb.
He says the warden service
must be increased and a block
by-block census made to pin
point aged, young or crippled
citizens who would have priority
in an evacuation. Mr.. Goodwin
sees a need to increase the civil
defense police reserve force to
dirct traffic. H points out that
welfare centers now planned on
the outskirts of the city should
be moved to the suburbs.
Most needed, Mr.. Goodwin be-
lieves, are laws putting teeth in
civil defense evacuation plans.
He points out that some means
of enforcing dispersal regulations
will be necessary to carry out a
successful evacuation.
Above all Mr.. Goodwin sees a
need for public education to alert
Washington to any new civil de-
fenSe plans.
We've been plugging civil de-
fense for four years." he says.
land most people don't even
know our signals"