WHEREAS, on this day the City of Providence, led by the Providence Emergency Management Agency (PEMA), is conducting an evacuation of the ten largest downtown office buildings in the Capital City, dubbed Operation SMART EXIT, to dramatize the importance of being prepared for a large-scale emergency evacuation and rendezvous; and
WHEREAS, more than 4,000 people, including employees from City Hall, One Financial Plaza, 100 Westminster Street, Bank of America, 20 Westminster Street Associates, Textron, the Turks Head Building, GTECH Corporation, One Citizens Plaza and The Federal Center at 380 Westminster Street will participate, evacuating their offices and traveling by foot to a rally point in Burnside Park, Kennedy Plaza; and
WHEREAS, much of the impetus for Operation SMART EXIT grew from the stories and actions of two individuals: the late security chief Rick Rescorla, who perished during the 9/11 attacks while rescuing employees of the firm Morgan Stanley, and David Harel of ASERO Worldwide, a trained anti-terrorist and emergency management specialist who had shared an anecdote with Providence officials about an evacuation of an office complex in Tel Aviv occupied by 40,000 people; and
WHEREAS, as part of Colonel Peter T. Gaynor and PEMA's Ready Providence program, in conjunction with the Rhode Island Red Cross and the Rhode Island Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT), Operation SMART EXIT is designed to firmly implant in the minds of all participants the thoughtful preparedness, cooperation, and coordination essential to a successful and orderly evacuation in an urban area in the event of a dire emergency;
Now, Therefore, Do I, Angel Taveras, Mayor Of The City of Providence,
Hereby Proclaim Thursday, June 28, 2012
Preparedness Day
in the City of Providence.