News Story 2 From the World of Darkness
September 9th, 2011
DC Evacuated
> Washington, DC and Arlington, VA were evacuated on Saturday night as part of an emergency drill executed by the Department of Homeland Security in conjunction with the District’s executive branch. The immediate evacuation is estimated to have successfully cleared approximately 60% of the Capital Region's residents. Widespread system failures were reported, however, including overcrowding of the Metro system, traffic jams, and road closures.
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> Widespread looting has been reported throughout the region. Preliminary reports indicate that at least $1.5 million dollars in property damage and nearly twice that amount in stolen goods. Evacuated homes made tempting targets to thieves and District Police are working mandatory double shifts to investigate and complete burglary reports.
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> Despite several attempts by looters to breech the National Gallery of Art, Library of Congress, and the Smithsonian, National Park Police were able to prevent all but the most minor of damage to these federal properties.
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> Six murders occurred during the chaos of the evacuation drill. Suspects in two of the killings have been apprehended. A further eight deaths are blamed on the drill, primarily older and disabled residents dependent on caregivers who could not or did not report to work.
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> Several lawsuits have already been filed against the District government and dozens more are expected. Watchdog groups are unanimously condemning the surprise drill and it is expected that many District and Federal officials will be fired or forced to resign in the coming weeks.
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> Unnamed sources throughout the city government have stated that there was a serious, immediate, and credible threat to the Capital’s security which prompted the evacuation. The nature of this threat, however, is not being revealed due to the upcoming 10-year anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks.
