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9/11 sparked fears for nuclear or chemical attack preparedness in NI, State Papers reveal

Stormont civil servants were involved in urgent contingency planning for the possibility that the region could be targeted.

NORTHERN IRELAND WAS at potential risk of being targeted by a nuclear or chemical weapons attack in the aftermath of 9/11, archive files from the time suggest.

Officials were alerted to the need to stockpile medical supplies as they were warned of the possibility of a nuclear bomb being detonated within the region or the nerve agent Sarin being deployed against the civilian population.

The grave assessment was relayed to senior civil servants as they made plans to equip public services in Northern Ireland for the feared global consequences of the terror attack in the US in September 2001.

Clive Gowdy, who was then permanent secretary of Stormont’s Department of Health, outlined the potential scenarios the region could be facing following the targeting of the World Trade Centre in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, DC.

The document he prepared is included in files newly released from the Public Records Office of Northern Ireland.

Gowdy was responding to a request sent on 24 September 2001 from the then head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service Gerry Loughran, who had asked his various departmental permanent secretaries to “urgently assess” the potential impact and possible consequences of 9/11 on the region.

mr-gerry-loughran-58-after-it-was-announced-in-belfast-that-mr-loughran-would-be-the-new-head-of-the-northern-ireland-civil-service-and-the-first-catholic-to-be-appointed-to-the-position-br Gerry Loughran was the head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service when the 9/11 terror attacks happened Paul Faith / PA Paul Faith / PA / PA

Gowdy, who had responsibility for health, social care and the fire and rescue service in Northern Ireland, circulated a detailed reply to Loughran and colleagues two days later.

He said local firefighters had been particularly affected and felt a sense of “solidarity and bereavement” with counterparts in New York.

Gowdy said senior fire chiefs had been assessing whether there were any lessons for firefighting and rescue efforts if a similar attack happened in Northern Ireland.

The senior civil servant then went on to outline the potential consequence for the region resulting from any US follow-up action “to root out terrorism in the aftermath of this atrocity”.

“While it is still unclear what form of action will be taken, there must be speculation that it will range from action of a conventional war-like-kind, such as the Gulf War, to more widespread and unconventional attacks which have world wide implications and, in either scenario, there is the very real threat of reprisals and retaliatory action,” he stated.

He said a conventional war would result in the possible call-up of auxiliary military personnel, including medical, nursing and paramedic staff from Northern Ireland who were members of the Territorial Army Medical Corps.

However, he said the department’s “working assumption” was the potential for a “more unconventional campaign” and, as a result, its focus of attention was on dealing with “possible attacks on the local population”.

“In planning to deal with this latter scenario, there are a number of possibilities to be addressed,” he continued.

“The first is that we would be subject to conventional attacks, such as bombing, gun attack, or the use of planes or other vehicles to attack heavily populated areas.

“The implications for us are essentially the difficulties of having to handle mass casualties with all the problems of capacity in our hospitals and on both the Ambulance Service and the Blood Transfusion Service. The Fire Service would also be heavily involved.”

Gowdy then raised the potential for a nuclear attack.

“The second possibility is that we would be faced with some form of nuclear attack,” he wrote.

“In this scenario, the nuclear device might be exploded directly within the Province or we might suffer the after effects of the radiation discharged from a nuclear device exploded across the water in Scotland or England.

“Again, this would raise issues of capacity in our hospitals and in the Ambulance Service and Fire Service.

“There would also be issues around the use of protective clothing and decontamination units.

“The third possibility would be the use of chemical or biological weapons.

“From our contacts with the Department of Health in London, the main risks identified here are anthrax, smallpox, botulism, and nerve gases such as sarin.

“As before, the hospitals, Ambulance Service and Fire Service would be heavily involved and there would be a need for protective clothing and antibiotics and antidotes to whatever agents were used.

“There would also be issues around the nature of the transmission procedures used for the agents in question.

“For example, a chemical or biological weapon released into the air in a crowded area would create different circumstances from a weapon of this type released into the water supply or released by airborne transmission over a wide area.”

Gowdy said there was a “clear” need to stockpile sufficient supplies and materials “for combating these various possibilities”.

“We will need to build up our supplies of antibiotics and antidotes, needles and syringes and protective clothing etc,” he said.

“We will also need to ensure that we have sufficient decontamination capacity and that staff are properly trained to deal with the possible weapons and outcomes they might face.”

The permanent secretary said there was also a social services dimension to the planning for a mass attack.

“The need for temporary shelter for those displaced from their homes will be a major consideration,” he wrote.

“There will also be a need for meals and clothing. If the attacks are substantial, there will be the need for counselling both at the time and subsequently.

“Our social services staff have built up quite a reserve of expertise on these issues over the years of the troubles here.”

Gowdy concluded by making clear he currently did not have the budget to make the preparations for the scenarios he had outlined.

“We do not have the money to stockpile on the scale which may be required,” he stated.

“A judgement would have to be formed as to the scale of the stockpiling undertaken, but we understand from our colleagues in the Department of Health in London that they have been given an extra £15m for the stockpiling of supplies there.”

He said a “rough estimate” of the equivalent figure in Northern Ireland would be £750,000.

“We would also face clear difficulties in coping with the increased level of demand in our hospitals and we would need to bring in extra nursing and medical staff,” he added.

“Ideally, we would prepare by creating some new capacity, particularly in Intensive Care Units and in isolation units in the event of biological devices being used.

“We simply cannot afford to do any of these things on our present budget and I would wish to flag this up as an issue at the outset.”

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    Mute Brian Ward
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    Mar 4th 2017, 7:30 AM

    The irony is that we had a tram system in Cork just like Dublin years ago but both systems were ripped up to make way for cars. Now we can look at the old lines that have either fallen into disregard or turned into walkways from our cars stuck in a traffic jam.

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    Mute Mr Snuffleupagus
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    Mar 4th 2017, 7:49 AM

    @Brian Ward: And a very good system it was. We could also do with more small car ferries as the Cobh to Passage West one has been a real success. I think it would open up parts of East Cork that are just too far out to commute to the city otherwise, to housebuyers and help relieve pressure on first time buyers and renters.

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    Mute Fred Jensen
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    Mar 4th 2017, 9:19 AM

    @Brian Ward:

    Indeed, isn’t there still a visible rail line that goes all the way down to the Point in Dublin along the quays. They didn’t even bother removing it when cars were all the rage. Yet how many hundreds of millions did they spend extending the luas down to the Point.

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    Mute Mark Hosford
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    Mar 4th 2017, 1:41 PM

    The cork tram system was ripped up in the 30s largely for economic reasons … Dublin was more vanity …

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    Mute Chris Mansfield
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    Mar 4th 2017, 8:13 AM

    The population argument is really the wrong way around. Population density follows public transport infrastructure. It’s not that you should have density before you get the transport.

    Something to consider. In the 1970s, the density in Cork and Dublin was very similar. Since then, Dublin’s has increased, while Cork’s has decreased. Why? Because Dublin has seen investment in quality public transport (DART, Luas), while Cork has been forced to rely on the car, which means stretched out suburbs. Just look at what has been built along the Luas lines and you’ll see this effect.

    If we try to increase density without having the public transport in place first, we’ll just get people who are car dependent and won’t change, and we’ll encourage congestion, plus a belief that giving up the road space will make the congestion worse.

    The public transport needs to come first.

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    Mute Sean @114
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    Mar 4th 2017, 9:20 AM

    But surely you cannot justify spending billions on a light rail system for a city population of 120,000 while you then wait for the workers to arrive. Where’s the demand? That’s Jackie Healy Rae logic.

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    Mute Fred Jensen
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    Mar 4th 2017, 9:20 AM

    @Chris Mansfield:

    You are absolutely correct, yet all Irish planners and politicians think in exactly the opposite way. They think public transport should be “provided” to where people are already living.

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    Mute Sean @114
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    Mar 4th 2017, 9:22 AM

    Of course it’s supply and demand. Do something different and you end up in a Bus Eireann situation.

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    Mute Emeralds
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    Mar 4th 2017, 9:27 AM

    Billions?

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    Mute Tony Skillington
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    Mar 4th 2017, 9:47 AM

    540,000 actually Sean.

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    Mute Fred Jensen
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    Mar 4th 2017, 9:56 AM

    @Sean @114:

    Sean bus lines should be provided for where people are already living. Rail lines however should be put in place in advance of development. It becomes much easier to get planning permission if there’s a rail link, so it’s a case of build it and they will come.

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    Mute Sean @114
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    Mar 4th 2017, 10:49 AM

    And you believe that 540K. The new children’s hospital was going to cost €260m initially. Now it’s over a billion!!!! Treble whatever figure is thrown out there.

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    Mute Ashling Fenton
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    Mar 4th 2017, 12:10 PM

    There still needs to be a minimum density to ensure revenue .

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    Mute John R
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    Mar 4th 2017, 1:47 PM

    Chris you say in the 1970s the density of Dublin and Cork was similar and based on this premise build an entire argument for light rail in Cork. on that. The problem is that your premise is untrue. Dublin has always had a far larger population than Cork city. If you think that the only reason Dublin has grown faster than Cork is public transport then you haven’t been to Dublin and don’t know the economics of cities. Dublin is a capital city. Cork is a small city. It has neither the population or the density for light rail. Other solutions will have to be found.

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    Mute Talleyrand Frye
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    Mar 4th 2017, 4:20 PM

    @John R: Population size and population density are not the same thing. Ireland has a larger population than San Marino, but San Marino has greater population density than Ireland.

    I am not saying Chris is right or wrong – but you at least need to understand exactly what he is saying before you can critique his points.

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    Mute Tony Skillington
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    Mar 4th 2017, 5:51 PM

    Sean…wake up. 540,000 is the population of Cork…not the 120,000 you stated.

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    Mute Buster VL
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    Mar 4th 2017, 9:30 PM

    Metrland.

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    Mute Conchuir
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    Mar 5th 2017, 9:04 AM

    Yeah Tony that’s the entire county not the city

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    Mute John R
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    Mar 5th 2017, 12:47 PM

    Talleyrand you’re correct but it’s irrelevant in this case. You can have population density but lack the size of population necessary to make rail a realistic population. Dublin has that population but barely the scale as the city it too spread out. Cork city has neither the population nor the scale. Politicians make many promises most based on populism. Light rail is very expensive both to build and to run. The construction requires a massive state subvention. The operational costs in the case of the Dublin Luas are met by the users. In the case of Cork it is likely that the user base would be far less for any given line. Hence an operational subsidy would be needed.

    The argument that just because Dublin has it Cork should as well is just the politics of envy not reason.

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    Mute Donal Martin
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    Mar 4th 2017, 7:24 AM

    Nobody cares about outside Dublin, that’s what

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    Mute Brian Ward
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    Mar 4th 2017, 7:32 AM

    Exactly Donal, whatever happened to the “Dart to Dingle”?

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    Mute Alan Scott
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    Mar 4th 2017, 8:27 AM

    A lot of the streets are very narrow but we love the Cork people

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    Mute Tony Skillington
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    Mar 4th 2017, 9:53 AM

    @Alan. For the most part a LUAS type system would service the suburbs..the wider streets such as Patrick Street, South Mall, Grand Parade and Parnell Place would be well able to accommodate it. Given that Cork has such a high density of FDI with the pharmaceutical industry in particular, this would benefit the movement of people hugely from places like Ring as kiddy and Little Island the latter which suffers from enormous traffic congestion, so much so businesses there are staggering their staffs finishing times to allow them get home at a reasonable hour. It makes nothing but good sense to have a system like this here albeit on a smaller scale that Dublin. Ohhhhh…and we love ye too.

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    Mute Don O Sullivan
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    Mar 4th 2017, 7:32 AM

    I remember rail tracks in the 70s and early 80s that ran from Kent Station up towards City Hall over Brian Boru Bridge.These were used a lot by freight trains transporting grain and fertiliser at the time to and from the docks.Its such a shame that they were covered over and were not extended to other parts of the city and parts of the county.In actual fact a rail system ran from Skibereen right in towards Waterfall also which was allowed go ruin and never preserved.Its such a shame.I’d prefer the thoughts of having a tram type system that operates in our twinned city San Francisco.

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    Mute prop joe
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    Mar 4th 2017, 7:33 AM

    There are old railway lines that can be used but critical junctions have been sold off in Cork city. An East West line would make sense joining the courthouse , ucc bons hospital, cuh , model road industrial park, cit. But this will never happen. So it’s the bus or cycle if you don’t want to drive.

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    Mute Adrian
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    Mar 4th 2017, 7:35 AM

    So in summary. The politicians bankrupt the country and population didn’t seem to be the problem before the economic crash but it’s the excuse now because they can’t afford it now basically.

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    Mute Stephen Devlin
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    Mar 4th 2017, 8:42 AM

    But certain amenities like wage rises and water meters there is plenty money for

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    Mute rockmast
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    Mar 4th 2017, 10:53 AM

    A small monorail would probably work better in Cork than a luas tram line. A lot of the cost of building the luas was buying land off people along the line. A stoneworks in Dundrum got around 5 million while an acre at the edge of Sandyford cost 12 million. Put it up in the air on stilts.

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    Mute Eugene Conroy
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    Mar 4th 2017, 10:07 AM

    Should read “What happened to Cork”

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    Mute phil o c
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    Mar 4th 2017, 11:01 AM

    What do you mean by that Eugene?

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    Mute David
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    Mar 4th 2017, 11:59 AM

    Well the it’s the Peoples Republic of Cork so pay for it yourselves lol

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    Mute David MC
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    Mar 4th 2017, 1:09 PM

    @David: Cork accounts for one third of the total economic output of the country so we could well afford it …

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    Mute John R
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    Mar 5th 2017, 1:00 PM

    David “Cork accounts for one third if the total economic output of the country”! Seriously? So Cork city and county with a population of 529,000 people out of a national population of 4.7 million people accounts for 33% of economic output even though it has only 11% of the population. Seriously amazing. I am in awe. Poor Dublin with a population of 1.35 million only accounts for another 42% of GDP. So based on your estimate Dublin and Cork and accounts for 77% of the entire economic output of the Republic despite having less than half the population. Moreover Cork is incomparably wealthier than Dublin.

    I suggest that your statement about Cork economic output is wrong. Very wrong.

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    Mute David MC
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    Mar 4th 2017, 1:08 PM

    The LUTS plan for Cork going back to the late 70s had a light rail system in the project but never was acted on due to the cost , a smaller city like Cork can benefit from these types of transport platforms better than already built up cities like Dublin as it helps the city grow and you can add to them as the city grows they also help with economic advancement , why wait until it has to be justified , justify it on the basis of helping the city grow and then it will pay for its self down the line ..

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    Mute HoneyBadger617
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    Mar 4th 2017, 9:29 AM

    It got lost on its way down and now it’s the Dublin cross city link. See it’s simple when you know the truth.

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    Mute Kieran Mcnamee
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    Mar 4th 2017, 8:23 AM

    Why ?

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    Mute mcgoo
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    Mar 4th 2017, 1:53 PM

    Taking Dublins system as an example, A green line would run through the leafy suburbs of ballintemple and Douglas. A red line would take in ballyvolane and knocknaheeny.

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    Mute David
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    Mar 4th 2017, 11:58 AM

    It’s Cork lol

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    Mute David MC
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    Mar 4th 2017, 1:10 PM

    @David: Aw another person with an attitude about Cork when projects are talked about the biggest county in the country
    and a population of 500,000 thousand people ..

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    Mute Buster VL
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    Mar 4th 2017, 9:28 PM

    Don’t even think about a luas for cork. AAA Wally would recommend a starting salary of half a million P.a. for tram drivers.

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