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The Boston Globe

Opinion

Boston.com

Juliette Kayyem

This is not a test

When the tsunami alarms sounded last week in Indonesia, what didn’t happen became an invaluable lesson in disaster management

By Juliette Kayyem

 |  Globe Columnist  

  April 16, 2012

This is a test. Behind those familiar words lies a fundamental tenet of emergency management: Systems to protect the public need to be practiced and validated. First responders constantly test response plans. These efforts can be small tabletop exercises, like those performed in the buildup to the Boston Marathon today, or large simulations of catastrophic events with people acting the parts of victims. Some of these exercises are helpful, others a waste of time.

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