Suspicious powder slows JWA

Deepa Bharath

Amid daily anthrax scares nationwide, a trace of powder on a piece of

luggage paralyzed normal activity at John Wayne Airport on Tuesday

afternoon, stopping carousels and shutting down rental car counters for

about two hours.

It started when an America West passenger spotted the white powder on

her suitcase as it came through the baggage carousel. The mysterious

substance was later revealed to be makeup, face powder or something

similar, that would be considered harmless, officials said.

Evelyn Whitton spotted spots the size of quarters on her suitcase

about 3:20 p.m. and notified airport security, fearing it might be

anthrax, said Capt. Steven Diersing of the Orange County Fire Authority’s

hazardous materials unit.

The airport roped off two baggage claim carousels and the nearby

vicinity for a little more than two hours as firefighters and experts

suited up and put on masks before running tests to examine the powdery

substance.

Diersing said the powder failed the first set of biological tests that

were performed.

“We didn’t even go through the chemical testing,� he said. “It was not

necessary.�

Whitton said she knew in her heart it would turn out to be nothing but

“wanted to be safe.�

“I’m relieved it was nothing,� said Whitton, who, with her husband,

Richard, landed on an America West flight from Arizona.

“We thought it was nothing, but we thought it would be good to have it

checked out. Overall, we’ve been really happy with the security in the

airports.�

Four engines, a paramedic unit, a hazardous materials unit, a

battalion chief and a division chief from the airport responded to the

call, said airport spokeswoman Yolanda Perez.

“We’re relieved it was not a credible threat,� she said.

State National Guard members oversee the safety of the airport, as

well as other airports throughout the nation.

Passengers from other flights were diverted to alternate terminals

during the investigation.

Doug Horn, a Colorado resident who was on a business trip, was one of

them.

“I saw the yellow tape and figured as much,� he said shaking his head.

“I’ve reached a point where I don’t know what precautions I can take. I

travel all the time, and every place seems like the kind of place

something like this would happen.�

Diersing said his hazardous materials unit has been tapped for duty at

least 30 times in less than a week.

“This is probably our sixth call today,� he said. “It’s a very busy

time for us.�

Calls have ranged from suspicious mail to white powder in the bottom

of a cereal box, Diersing said.

John Wayne Airport “is a pretty high-profile location,� he said. “So

we came out with a full response.�

The key is to assess any situation carefully, Diersing said.

“If you see that something is totally out of place, then you know it’s

time to at least call and ask questions,� he said. “Otherwise just stop

and ask yourself if there is anything out of the ordinary about your

situation.�

* Deepa Bharath covers public safety and courts. She may be reached at

(949) 574-4226 or by e-mail at o7 [email protected] .