The Sharm blasts tested Egypt's crisis management expertise. Reem Nafie and Mustafa El-Menshawy monitor the government's performance on the ground, in the air, and on TV Early last Saturday, a state of emergency was declared at the nation's 22 airports -- one of the first official reactions to the devastating events that had just taken place in Sharm El-Sheikh. Security was tightened everywhere, but especially at Cairo International Airport, where a battalion of armed vehicles were quickly dispatched. Extra procedures were put into place at the airport itself: a trained snifferdog unit arrived to inspect luggage for explosives; tourists' bags were thoroughly scanned; and their travel documents double-checked before they were allowed through passport control. In nearby Heliopolis, dozens of security agents checked the roads leading to the airport for suspicious-looking parked cars. Intensifying security at airports, however, proved to be simpler than reinforcing Sharm El-Sheikh International Hospital with the level of medical personnel and facilities needed to deal with a crisis of this magnitude. The 150-bed facility, which features a 24-bed emergency room, had never really been in this kind of situation before. Because the doctors on call there were not used to handling massive numbers of arrivals at one time, 15 of the seriously injured victims were transferred to Cairo for medical treatment. In the capital itself, authorities had been expecting crowds to take to the streets, since 23 July -- the day the blasts took place -- was a national holiday. Waking up to the shocking news, however, most ended up staying home. The anticipated traffic jams didn't take place. In the days that followed, however, the tension on the streets was palpable. A greater number of security forces, for instance, were deployed on 6 October Bridge. Caught off guard by the attacks, Transport Minister Essam Sharaf hastily announced that the ministry had put together a crisis management plan to help secure the metro, railway stations and all Egyptian ports. And while details were not released, some wondered whether the plan would include a solution for the numerous vehicles that break down on the road and could potentially pose unguarded security threats. Security was also tightened at numerous touristic and archaeological sites across the country. Brigadier Mohamed Abdel-Hafez, head of the Tourism and Antiquities Police, told Al-Ahram Weekly that museums are already fully equipped with high-tech security measures, including burglar alarms connected to TV circuits. The heavy security at open- air sites like the Pyramids is also regularly reinforced with trained snifferdogs. Police have also stepped up security at many foreign embassies in Cairo. Steel barricades have been erected; and parking banned in the vicinity. Thorough searches are also being made of people entering the embassies, especially those of Middle East origin. Security measures at entertainment venues and government offices have also been tightened, while police have been told to be on the alert round-the- clock. State-run television also went into crisis management mode, providing live coverage of the goings-on in Sharm El-Sheikh within 15 minutes of the blasts. This speed may have been coincidental, however, since sports commentator Khaled Latif happened to be in the Red Sea resort city covering an international bowling tournament. "When we heard the loud sounds of the attacks," Latif said, "I convinced the crew to go to the scene and begin shooting." As a result, for the first time, Egyptian TV became the first source of information on this kind of serious domestic disturbance. When the Taba attacks took place last October, viewers were dismayed by state-run channels' slow reaction times, and ended up getting their news from other sources. This time, "I was amazed by the rapid and professional coverage of the event," said renowned Al-Ahram columnist Salama Ahmed Salama. "It has helped Egyptian TV build credibility with its audience and the outside world. I myself watched events unfold on Egyptian TV." With Taba, the Middle East News Agency, Egypt's official media mouthpiece, had cautiously quoted news on the blasts from the Qatar-based Al-Jazeera after nearly two hours of embarrassing hesitation. This time, the agency reported the Sharm El-Sheikh blasts using both local TV reports and its own correspondents. The subsequent coverage helped spread government-inspired messages far and wide. On a talk show the day after the attacks, a group of guests including businessmen, editors and intellectuals stressed that Egyptians should rally together to fight the terror scourge. "We appeal to all Egyptians in touristic and archaeological areas across the country to be vigilant, and cooperate with police by reporting any suspicious activities they see," Akhbar Al-Youm Editor-in-Chief Momtaz Al-Qut told the host. The call echoed appeals by British police to UK residents after the recent London blasts. Egyptian TV also provided air time to unexpected guests like Islamist Kamal Habib, a former Jihad leader, who condemned the attacks. State-run media has otherwise been banned from speaking to Islamists, and Jihad had often claimed responsibility for terror attacks in Egypt in the 1990s before its leaders renounced violence. There were media reports, meanwhile, claiming that state-run TV had even sought out condemnations from Al-Gama'a Al-Islamiya leaders as well. Also for the first time ever, calls for a minister to resign were made on a state-run screen. Several programme guests demanded that Interior Minister Habib El-Adli resign for his failure to secure Sharm El-Sheikh, long reputed as a highly fortified and safe area. El-Adli's comments -- immediately following the explosions -- about the blasts being linked to the Taba attacks were also allowed to be criticised on-air by analysts, who said he was jumping the gun. Just a few days later, the Interior Ministry was exceptionally quick to refute terrorist links to an incident in Giza when a man was severely injured by a minor explosion. The ministry circulated a press release -- shunning the hesitation and obscurity that usually takes it a lot longer to respond -- saying the man was hurt in an explosion generated by combustible trash he kept in his house. The press release served to limit the usual speculations that have surrounded similar incidents in the past. TV and local media also published a list of the victims of the Sharm El-Sheikh attack two days after the fact -- another first for state-run media transparency. Additional reporting by Amirah Ibrahim
