9.18.2006

DC Accident Awareness

The Blue/Orange Line between Rosslyn and Foggy Bottom just got a whole lot scarier!

The Metro had their annual disaster drill yesterday and it went off with many hitches. 120 volunteers were stuck underground for four hours as the Metro couldn't "rescue" a train under the Potomac in a timely manner. And it's not like they didn't know the "explosion" was coming. They planned their own scenario and still fucked it up. That's quite the accomplishment.

Since these 120 volunteers with nothing better to do kind of knew what they were in for, they handled the explosion and long wait in the dark with calmness. These volunteers made the rather astute observation that real-life passengers dealing with an unexpected explosion in an underwater tunnel might not handle themselves that well. Um, duh.

I'll remember this next time I take a trip to Dulles or National. I don't really like spending time in underwater tunnels. This drill could have assured me that everything would be alright. Now I know that if, something terrible happens when I'm under the Potomac, there's a good chance that I'm screwed. Death by claustrophobic drowning, death by third rail, and/or death by being trampled by scared shitless passengers...those sound like shitty ways to die.

Of course Metro officials claim that if something were to go wrong for real, then everything would be OK. Color me skeptical!

32 comments:

  1. The Fox 5 news guy (the one with the dark hair who looks weird) did the funniest thing the other night.

    He said in a teaser: An explosion on Metro--but it was just a simulation!

    As he said that, the black female news anchor beside him raised her eyebrows and looked at him, as if to say, that was just too much.

    I couldn't believe it. Explosion on Metro! Film at 11!

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  2. I actually disagree with your assessment of this entire matter.

    At least they're not like the old Missile Defense Agency setting up their own tests in which the kill vehicle fails to hit the target missile and then saying, Oh, we weren't even trying to do that--it's just beta!

    Beta this or that is the ultimate excuse.

    They at least did something that was intellectually honest and then rated themselves as "fair" and in need of improvement.

    That sure beats the alternative. This is probably not how they do things in the North Korean capitol's metro system.

    I think that was positive to admit that things aren't perfect b/c in reality they really aren't. Why should our government lie to us?

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  3. Btw, this was all out in the open and they asked regular citizens to particpate, as they have in the past.

    The government is not all-powerful....

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  4. they should have just lied and said everything was fine.

    worked with Hurricane Katrina, right?

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  5. Know how I know Rusty is gay?

    He doesn't like to spend much time in underwater tunnels.

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  6. Of course it's nice that Metro admitted that they blew this, but they still blew it! It would be way awesomer if Metro said "We had a disaster simulation and we fucking hit it out of the ballpark."

    I want my cake and to eat it too.

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  7. I blame those pussies who get all butt-hurt about the metro voice being too rude.

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  8. today at union station i saw a cab speed up to the curb and immediately slam on his brakes

    then a white guy quickly exited out of it and started yelling at the cab driver "you towelhead, sand niggger, camel jockey, you terrorist american taliban!"

    the cab driver yelled back "fuck you gay fag, homo take it up the ass cocksucker!"

    all of this was taking place in front of dozens of groups of children standing on the sidewalk

    everybody else was standing there silent. very awkward moment for all of us. obviously the dispute had something to do with money. the cab driver gave the white guy the finger and then drove off.

    the white guy opened his mouth (in a manner seeming to emulate oral sex of some kind) and then stuck his tongue out at the driver before walking inside to union station

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  9. Looks like somebody didn't like it when the cabby tried to stiff his passenger on the camel ride.

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  10. Rusty was that you over at Union Station today?

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  11. You know they think they white?

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  12. For all those hating on the government and on police, I thought Rep. Eleanor Holmes' comments on the evening news was interesting regarding the druggie who busted into the Capitol building.

    The officers "risked their lives" to take the man down without shooting and killing him. They, in fact, used the minimal amount of force to accomplish their objective.

    Sometimes they do something right.

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  13. YOU KNOW BACK IN THE OLD DAYS THE ETHNIC IRISH AND THE ETHNIC ITALIANS WOULD HAVE KICKED THE SHIT OUT OF A TOWEL HEAD FOR SAYING SUM SHIT LIKE THAT

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  14. Annnnd reason #478 why I drive to work!

    homointhecity.blogspot.com
    See what all the effing fuss is about!

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  15. That story about the argument between the cab driver and the passenger is hilarious. I wish the witness would have caught it on camera.

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  16. Four hour wait in a metro tunnel? Sounds like my daily commute to work on the metro!

    Waaaah Waaaaaaaaaaah

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  17. Rusty, I'd like to report a tool sighting this morning.

    A balding redish-haired man with a hoop earing in his left ear boarded the Orange line train at Roslyn at approximately 8.25 a.m. wearing a lanyard w/ the logo PBGC (Pension Benefits Guarantee Corporation). He set up in the aisle and promptly dropped his metal briefcase on my foot.

    He knows who he is.

    I should have taken a camel this morning.

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  18. Anon,

    I come from ethnic Irish.... Too bad I've morphed into such white bread that I'm taking sh-t from Mexicans now....

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  19. too bad they didn't "simulate" getting groped or sexually harassed on the metro, as i saw this very morning, ironically on the blue line between penatgon and rosslyn.

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  20. TRUST ME. THE LATINO STREET GANGS OF TODAY DONT HAVE SHIT ON ALL OF THE IRISH ITALIAN AND JEWISH STREET GANGS FROM BACK IN THE OLD DAYS.

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  21. Anonymous,

    I must study your ways. I'm seeking mentorship.

    Other person, tell me more about the harassment. That sounds interesting....

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  22. Rusty, that is why they have EXERCISES. So they can sort out their fuckups when the real thing hits. They had a drill, fucked it up, admitted it, and will now (presumably) try again with better luck. Give them a break. At least they are trying.

    It always cracks me up though when I look at the "Washington DC Evacuation Plan" that is posted on our bulliten board at the office. They can't even get people out of this shithole Mon-Fri, and they have an "evacuation plan?" LOFL. If the big one ever comes, we can all just kiss our asses goodbye.

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  23. when disaster strikes, i'm going to walk up to new england. i'm pretty sure i can live in the woods and survive off of squirrel.

    moose and squirrel.

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  24. About the sexual harassment on the blue line this morning....

    Details!

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  25. I'm sorry, but I agree with Rusty.

    Yes, the reason they have simulations is to shake out the bugs. But keep in mind-- not only did they fuck up the evacuation, they fucked up the entire inner workings of the simulation itself! I can't imagine anyone, especially those of us living in DC, casually saying "Oh well, at least they tried. Better luck next time."

    [stepping onto soapbox]

    My fellow Haters, Metro gives us over-crowded trains at high fare prices, and we fall back. They give us 20 minnute waits during RUSH HOUR, and we fall back. THE LINE MUST BE DRAWN HERE! Here and no further!

    Seriously though, this is a post- 9/11, post-Katrina world. It's bad when you can't complete a simulated evacuation. It;s even worse if you fail to run the simulation properly. We deserve better.

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  26. What's even worse about Metro's subway is that someone has vandalized some of the train cars with paint purporting to advertise McDonald's.

    Dude, you can't wash that sh-t off? What the hell?

    And my $2.35 per way fare is $0.35 more than I'd pay in new york city, i guess....

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  27. I am so fucking sick of the metro voice. Not because it's rude, but because it won't shut the fuck up and it won't stop saying the same shit.

    Bitch, I don't need to be told to move into the middle when I'm at the end of the line and there's only 3 crackheads in the car.

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  28. Rusty, isn't it racist to the catfish in the Potomac that this drill was conducted below it?

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  29. I see your point. You don't see them conducting these exercises where the.... whitefish live.

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  30. Rusty seems to be overlooking an important detail, METRO KEPT TRAINS RUNNING PAST THE "ACCIDENT SCENE" DURING THE EXERCISE! Obviously it would take rescuers a pretty long time under that circumstance, which would not happen in a real emergency.

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  31. KILL EM' ALL

    LET GOD SORT EM' OUT

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  32. From my viewpoint, the drill was mostly to see how the area firefighters could handle a large amount of people in a metro tunnel hard to get to. Reality Check: in a real event, anybody on that train who could, would have bailed out of the train & ran to Foggy Bottom Station. The ones who were injured would have been out of air and luck quickly. As for waiting 4 hours for the exercise, the people on the train were volunteers, mostly emergency trained, and should have been prepared for screwups to happen. That's what drills are for, people. If you drive to Foggy Bottom at 6:30 on Sunday Morning and get on a train you know is going to have something happen to it, don't complain if you miss seeing the Sunday Morning Politico shows. Bring a good book. I did.

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