In this Intelligence Report: One unusual way that Illinois has spent federal money to get ready.
Even as horrifying scenes from the recent Japan earthquake disaster and deadly tsunami are fresh in the minds of most people, Illinois emergency management officials are using science fiction scare tactics to educate children about how to prepare for an earthquake.
Calling it "Disaster Ville," state officials used federal Homeland Security grant money to develop a children's video game.
With a crescendo of cheesy thriller music, the day the earth shook begins. "Welcome to Disaster Ville," says the sign, and a young boys plays ball-- unaware of the danger that lurks beneath his feet. This is the video game featured on the State of Illinois Emergency Management website, touting next Thursday's earthquake preparedness drill.
A 7 or 8-level shaker along the New Madrid fault line could affect more than 15 million people, topple thousands of bridges and buildings, and, emergency officials say, result in catastrophic loss of life.
More than 400 Indiana schools and 600,000 residents got a head start Tuesday with their own earthquake exercise.
"I'm not taking it lightly. This is a serious drill to practice," said Perry Township, Ind., teacher Kelly Chamberlain.
While Illinois emergency officials plan similar drills next week, for now this is how they want children to prepare: With that little boy in the video game being visited by a flying saucer and an alien called Zorg telling him he is in "great danger." The one-eyed alien then leads him on a treasure hunt through a virtual home, gathering up equipment that you might need in the event of the big one.
State officials say this earthquake preparedness project is intended to demonstrate "a new educational approach for children to learn effective disaster skills and responses. It was commissioned by the Illinois Terrorism Task Force and the Illinois Emergency Management Agency."
That game cost the state $286,000 to create and put online. It was funded with federal tax money paid to the University of Illinois in Chicago where their electronic visualization lab worked on it along with scientists from U of I in Champaign at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications.
the shaddow gov is sick people. and they brainwash kids and even adults with the tv shows and programing that makes people think terror is real and they need to be scared of there naubors
adam3176 2 months ago
They are planning something BIG with haarp. And other Weapons. and deception on tv using scare tactics and claiming terrorists are everywhere
adam3176 2 months ago
Checkered floor.... One-eyed alien.... I got it! This is from our friends, the Illuminati!!!
Y3ar0neUnd3gr0und 2 months ago
haha this game suck ass nobody will play this
grivs 3 months ago
This is insane they are brain washing our children to do exactly what they are told when marshel law goes into effect and the fact they use an alien to do it blows my mind.
Whiterabbitssuck 4 months ago
commissioned by the the terrorist task force? the terrorist task force is multifaceted? no no...something very fishy about that. also they call it the Mad-rid fault line. Mad -rid.
steveahmann 9 months ago
2:00 "aliens are coming" etc. shame on them,,If God is real, they'll have Hell to pay
SBRdotTV 10 months ago