The fiscal and economic aftermath of Sept. 11 left about half of U.S. cities less able to meet their financial needs. About two-thirds mentioned a need for funding to pay for equipment (70 percent of respondents) and training (62 percent) to support homeland security efforts.
The survey of cities found that biological terrorism topped the list of current concerns (mentioned by 82 percent of all cities and 95 percent of large cities), followed by chemical threats (81 and 92 percent), and cyber-terrorism (80 and 91 percent). Other top concerns were car bombs (70 percent of all cities and 91 percent of large cities), "dirty" bombs that release nuclear material (67 and 85 percent), radiological attacks (62 and 78 percent), suicide bombs (62 and 82 percent), and airplanes used as weapons (60 and 76 percent). City leaders in larger cities were more likely to express concern about all types of terrorism.
The survey also found that only one in five cities (20 percent) had integrated the color-coded Homeland Security Advisory System into local planning efforts.
The survey was conducted by the National League of Cities in July and August of 2002. Out of the 725 respondents, 142 were cities with populations of 100,000 or more.
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