Regional officials have taken a "huge step forward" on preparing for a terrorist attack by completing a strategic disaster plan for Washington and its suburbs, a U.S. senator said at an oversight hearing yesterday.

The session of the Senate Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce and the District of Columbia came six months after a hearing in which senators assailed area officials for their tardiness in completing the strategic plan. It was finished last month, a year late.

"From what I can see, you've made tremendous progress," said Sen. Daniel K. Akaka (D-Hawaii), ranking member of the subcommittee.

However, he and an official from the Government Accountability Office called on officials to be more specific about how they would measure progress in carrying out the plan.

The plan is supposed to guide homeland security spending and planning in the region in the next three years.