FAIRFAX, Va. -- Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge warned Tuesday that Washington could again be the victim of terrorism and said preparing for that is a top concern.
"We are the nation's capital, we have been attacked before and we could be attacked again," Ridge said at a town hall meeting held at George Mason University.
Billions of dollars have been spent on homeland security nationwide since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks at the Pentagon and World Trade Center, but Ridge said preparedness remains the nation's greatest challenge to minimizing the impact of terrorism.
"A massive public education campaign needs to take place before an incident occurs," Ridge said at the forum attended by leaders from throughout the Washington area. "There is an integrated plan to deal with surge capacity in the hospitals, traffic control and public safety."
Local governments in the region were among the first to receive money from the federal government after the 2001 attacks, but public safety officials who went to the meeting expressed concern about having enough resources.
"What we don't have is enough gear to sustain an effort over a prolonged period of time," said Tom Manger, chief of the Montgomery County, Md., police.
Manger said public safety agencies from different parts of the region have trained together and participated in conference calls when the Department of Homeland Security's color coded alert system is elevated.
The calls frequently involve representatives of the 17 local jurisdictions that make up the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. State officials from Maryland and Virginia also take part. They work with the Homeland Security's National-Capital Region Department, which specifically addresses security concerns affecting the area around the nation's capital.