Chertoff, who was joined by Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Darrell Stephens and Charlotte Fire Department Chief Luther Fincher, was particularly impressed with the communication, coordination, cooperation and collaboration between the first responders in the city.
The city of Charlotte represents all the threats and vulnerabilities of a major city although it is not a port city. It contains two nuclear power plants with two reactors, each of which has emergency planning zones that impact the city. Charlotte is also the second largest financial center in the country and hosts both NFL and NBA teams, an international airport and NASCAR races with crowds of up to 200,000.