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NEWS ADVISORY

PORTSMOUTH, NH - News media interested in covering activities in the Portsmouth, New Hampshire metropolitan area related to TOPOFF, the domestic counterterrorism exercise announced here in April, should report to Pease Air National Guard Base, 153 New Market Street, Building 16 (the New Hampshire Air National Guard Headquarters Building) at the corner of Arboretum Drive and International Drive on Sunday, May 21 at 8:30 a.m. to receive credentials required for covering the exercise and information about the logistics of the exercise in the Portsmouth area. Media interested in attending TOPOFF activities must be escorted to events from this location.

What: Media check-in for TOPOFF counterterrorism exercise

Where: Pease Air National Guard Base

Building 16 corner of Arboretum Drive and International Drive

Newington, New Hampshire

When: 8:30 a.m., Sunday, May 21, 2000

Due to space constraints, video must be taken with remote camera equipment. Portable equipment must be used at the scene. Reporters and crews will be escorted to the site in vehicles reserved for this purpose.

TOPOFF is a Congressionally-mandated domestic counterterrorism exercise that will include the participation of top level officials, first responders and law enforcement personnel who would participate in the crisis and consequence management of a domestic weapons of mass destruction terrorist attack.

There will be no release of any actual weapons or agents at any location during the national exercise.

Note: This is a "no notice" exercise as responders and other participating officials do not know the actual date/time of the start of the exercise or specific incident locations. Therefore, this information may not be released or used in any news stories.

For additional information on TOPOFF contact:

National contacts:

Gina Talamona, DOJ, 202-514-2007

Mary Margaret Walker, FEMA, 202-646-3892

Portsmouth contacts:

Doug Johnson, DOJ, 603-430-3123, cell, 202-353-5610, pager, 888-582-6750

Mike Beeman, FEMA, cell, 917-678-1162

Local: Jim Van Dongen, New Hampshire Office of Emergency Management,

office, 603-271-2231, cell, 603-419-9057, or pager, 603-639-6920

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