Local, state officials in the dark on top terror alert

When the federal government raised the terrorism threat level to “high risk” earlier this month, anti-aircraft missiles were deployed around the nation’s capital, cars were randomly stopped for inspection at airports and citizens were advised to stock up on food and water. But the Code Orange threat alert is only the second-highest level on the five-color scale. A top-level red alert, signaling a severe risk of attack, could trigger responses not seen since Sept. 11, 2001: the evacuation of public facilities, orders to take cover in secure rooms, the grounding of civilian air traffic and other still-undisclosed measures. State and local security officials say they are anxious to learn more about what would trigger a red alert and how they would need to respond. Federal officials are reluctant to provide many details, adding that the plan largely would depend on the type of attack expected. Full Story