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Natural disasters provide good training for terror attacks

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Which city is best prepared to face the threat of a terrorist attack? All U.S. cities have considerable work to do, the experts say.

But cities that routinely gear up for deadly hurricanes, earthquakes and similar natural disasters probably have an advantage, according to the people in the disaster preparedness field. The same is thought to be true of cities which cope with daily crises while hosting major events.

"The rule of thumb is communities that have ongoing threats and disasters, such as your California and Florida cities, are going to have a much higher emphasis on disaster preparedness than your large cities that don't traditionally have either natural or technological disasters," said Steven Charvat, disaster recovery manager in Washington, D.C., and past president of the International Association of Emergency Managers.

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A basic evacuation plan is now viewed as an important tool in a city's preparedness arsenal. That is something cities in the hurricane zones long ago mapped out and practice out of necessity.

So generally, cities that get tested -- and discover their shortcomings -- are seen in a favorable light. Cities fitting such a profile include Miami, Los Angeles and the San Francisco/San Jose region.

"A lot of that organization of having dealt with hurricanes and earthquakes carries over," said Kyle Olson, vice president of Community Research Associates Inc., a firm that provides terrorism planning and response to local governments. "Those cities that are blessed with pretty boring environments tend to not be as prepared unless they've had the benefit of having one or two real strong personalities grab it by the horns and say 'Let's go.'"

Rather than focusing solely on terrorist threats, some experts argue a plan encompassing potential disasters as a whole is a wiser solution.

"We need to stress to Congress not to just pump money into this terrorism threat, but to look at it in an all-hazards approach," said Charvat, chairman of the IAEM terrorism committee. "It needs to be integrated with the community's disaster plan, because if you can deal with a major hurricane or earthquake better, then you can also deal with a terrorist event better."