Mount Weather
Encyclopedia
The Mount Weather Emergency Operations Center is a civilian command facility in Virginia
, U.S.
used as the center of operations for the Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA). Also known as the "High Point Special Facility" (HPSF), its preferred designation since 1991 is "SF".
The facility is a major relocation site for the highest level of civilian and military officials in case of national disaster, playing a major role in U.S. continuity of government
(per the Continuity of Operations Plan
).
Mount Weather is the location of a control station for the FEMA National Radio System (FNARS), a high frequency
radio system connecting most federal public safety agencies and U.S. military with most of the states. FNARS allows the president to access the Emergency Alert System
.
The site was brought into the public eye by The Washington Post
, when the government facility was mentioned while reporting on the December 1, 1974, crash into Mount Weather of TWA Flight 514
, a Boeing 727
jetliner.
, access to the operations center is available via Virginia State Route 601 (also called Blueridge Mountain Road) in Bluemont, Virginia
. The facility is located near Berryville
, 48 miles (77.2 km) from Washington, D.C.
The site was originally opened as a weather station in the late 1800s.http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/facility/mt_weather.htm It was used as a Civilian Public Service
facility (Camp #114) during World War II
.http://civilianpublicservice.org/camps/114/archivalmaterialhttp://civilianpublicservice.org/camps/114/1 At that time there were just a couple of permanent buildings on the site: the administration/dormitory building, and the laboratory. Those buildings still stand, supplemented by many more modern buildings.
The underground facility within Mount Weather, designated "Area B", was completed in 1959. FEMA established training facilities on the mountain's surface ("Area A") in 1979.
The above-ground portion of the FEMA complex (Area A) is at least 434 acres (175.6 ha). This measurement includes a training area of unspecified size. Area B, the underground component, contains 600000 ft2.
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
used as the center of operations for the Federal Emergency Management Agency
Federal Emergency Management Agency
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security, initially created by Presidential Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1978 and implemented by two Executive Orders...
(FEMA). Also known as the "High Point Special Facility" (HPSF), its preferred designation since 1991 is "SF".
The facility is a major relocation site for the highest level of civilian and military officials in case of national disaster, playing a major role in U.S. continuity of government
Continuity of government
Continuity of government is the principle of establishing defined procedures that allow a government to continue its essential operations in case of nuclear war or other catastrophic event....
(per the Continuity of Operations Plan
Continuity of Operations Plan
Continuity of Operations is a United States Federal initiative, required by Presidential directive, to ensure that agencies are able to continue performance of essential functions under a broad range of circumstances....
).
Mount Weather is the location of a control station for the FEMA National Radio System (FNARS), a high frequency
High frequency
High frequency radio frequencies are between 3 and 30 MHz. Also known as the decameter band or decameter wave as the wavelengths range from one to ten decameters . Frequencies immediately below HF are denoted Medium-frequency , and the next higher frequencies are known as Very high frequency...
radio system connecting most federal public safety agencies and U.S. military with most of the states. FNARS allows the president to access the Emergency Alert System
Emergency Alert System
The Emergency Alert System is a national warning system in the United States put into place on January 1, 1997, when it superseded the Emergency Broadcast System , which itself had superseded the CONELRAD System...
.
The site was brought into the public eye by The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
, when the government facility was mentioned while reporting on the December 1, 1974, crash into Mount Weather of TWA Flight 514
TWA Flight 514
TWA Flight 514, registration N54328, was a Boeing 727-231 en route from Indianapolis, Indiana, and Columbus, Ohio, to Washington Dulles International that crashed into Mount Weather, Virginia, on December 1, 1974. All 85 passengers and 7 crew members were killed.The flight was originally destined...
, a Boeing 727
Boeing 727
The Boeing 727 is a mid-size, narrow-body, three-engine, T-tailed commercial jet airliner, manufactured by Boeing. The Boeing 727 first flew in 1963, and for over a decade more were built per year than any other jet airliner. When production ended in 1984 a total of 1,832 aircraft had been produced...
jetliner.
Location
Located in the Blue Ridge MountainsBlue Ridge Mountains
The Blue Ridge Mountains are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains range. This province consists of northern and southern physiographic regions, which divide near the Roanoke River gap. The mountain range is located in the eastern United States, starting at its southern-most...
, access to the operations center is available via Virginia State Route 601 (also called Blueridge Mountain Road) in Bluemont, Virginia
Bluemont, Virginia
Bluemont is an unincorporated village in Loudoun County, Virginia located at the base of Snickers Gap in the Blue Ridge Mountain. At 680 feet , it is the highest community in Loudoun County...
. The facility is located near Berryville
Berryville, Virginia
Berryville is an incorporated town in and the county seat of Clarke County, Virginia, United States. The population was 2,963 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
, 48 miles (77.2 km) from Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
The site was originally opened as a weather station in the late 1800s.http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/facility/mt_weather.htm It was used as a Civilian Public Service
Civilian Public Service
The Civilian Public Service provided conscientious objectors in the United States an alternative to military service during World War II...
facility (Camp #114) during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.http://civilianpublicservice.org/camps/114/archivalmaterialhttp://civilianpublicservice.org/camps/114/1 At that time there were just a couple of permanent buildings on the site: the administration/dormitory building, and the laboratory. Those buildings still stand, supplemented by many more modern buildings.
The underground facility within Mount Weather, designated "Area B", was completed in 1959. FEMA established training facilities on the mountain's surface ("Area A") in 1979.
The above-ground portion of the FEMA complex (Area A) is at least 434 acres (175.6 ha). This measurement includes a training area of unspecified size. Area B, the underground component, contains 600000 ft2.
Evacuations
- According to a letter to the editor printed in The Washington PostThe Washington PostThe Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
, following the September 11 attacks, most of the congressionalUnited States CongressThe United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
leadership was evacuated to Mount Weather by helicopter.
- Between 1979 and 1981, the National Gallery of ArtNational Gallery of ArtThe National Gallery of Art and its Sculpture Garden is a national art museum, located on the National Mall between 3rd and 9th Streets at Constitution Avenue NW, in Washington, DC...
developed a program to transport valuable paintings in its collection to Mount Weather via helicopter. The success of the relocation depends upon how much warning they have before an attack.
In the media
- The first video of Mount Weather shot from the air to be broadcast on national TV was filmed by ABC News producer Bill Lichtenstein, and was included in the 1983 20/20 segment "Nuclear Preparation: Can We Survive", featuring 20/20 correspondent Tom Jarriel. Lichtenstein flew over the Mt. Weather facility with an ABC camera crew. The news magazine report also included House Majority Thomas "Tip" O'Neill and Rep. Edward Markey confirming that there were contingency plans for the relocation of the United States government in the event of a nuclear war or major disaster.
- Both Mount Weather and The GreenbrierThe GreenbrierThe Greenbrier is a Forbes four-star and AAA Five Diamond Award winning luxury resort located just outside the town of White Sulphur Springs in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, United States....
were featured in the A&EA&E NetworkThe A&E Network is a United States-based cable and satellite television network with headquarters in New York City and offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, London, Los Angeles and Stamford. A&E also airs in Canada and Latin America. Initially named the Arts & Entertainment Network, A&E launched...
documentary Bunkers. The documentary, first broadcast on October 23, 2001, features extensive interviews with engineers and political and intelligence analysts, providing rare insights into the secret installations. The documentary compared The Greenbrier and Mount Weather to Saddam HusseinSaddam HusseinSaddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
's control bunker buried beneath BaghdadBaghdadBaghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
. The documentary features interior video of The Greenbrier as well as the Baghdad bunker, which survived direct hits from seven Joint Direct Attack MunitionJoint Direct Attack MunitionThe Joint Direct Attack Munition is a guidance kit that converts unguided bombs, or "dumb bombs" into all-weather "smart" munitions. JDAM-equipped bombs are guided by an integrated inertial guidance system coupled to a Global Positioning System receiver, giving them a published range of up to...
bombs during the Battle of Baghdad in 2003. - Author Milton William CooperMilton William CooperMilton William Cooper was an American writer, shortwave broadcaster, conspiracy theorist, and political activist.-Biography:...
described what he considered the authoritarian, secretive, and unconstitutional aspects of Mount Weather in his 1991 book Behold a Pale Horse. - Author William PoundstoneWilliam PoundstoneWilliam Poundstone is an American author, columnist, and skeptic. He has written a number of books including the Big Secrets series and a biography of Carl Sagan...
investigated Mount Weather in his 1989 book Bigger Secrets.
Mount Weather in film and fiction
- The novel Seven Days in MaySeven Days in MaySeven Days in May is an American political thriller novel written by Fletcher Knebel and Charles W. Bailey II and published in 1962. It was made into a motion picture and released in February 1964, with a screenplay by Rod Serling, directed by John Frankenheimer, and starring Burt Lancaster, Kirk...
mentions a shadowy facility called Mount Thunder, a reference to Mount Weather, but the road descriptions in the book make it quite clear that it is the same facility. - A facility similar to Mount Weather is featured in the beginning of the 2002 film2002 in filmThe year 2002 in film involved some significant events. The first significant releases of sequels took place between The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Men in Black II, Analyze That, Spy Kids 2: The Island of...
The Sum of All FearsThe Sum of All Fears (film)The Sum of All Fears is a 2002 American action film/political thriller directed by Phil Alden Robinson and based on the novel The Sum of All Fears by Tom Clancy...
, based on the Tom ClancyTom ClancyThomas Leo "Tom" Clancy, Jr. is an American author, best known for his technically detailed espionage, military science, and techno thriller storylines set during and in the aftermath of the Cold War, along with video games on which he did not work, but which bear his name for licensing and...
novel of the same nameThe Sum of All FearsThe Sum of All Fears is the best-selling thriller novel by Dan Fogelman and Tom Clancy, and part of the Jack Ryan series. It was the fourth book of the series to be turned into a film. An interesting historical note is that this book was released just days before the Moscow uprising in 1991, which...
. The fictional U.S. president is taken to a facility located inside Sugarloaf Mountain in MarylandMarylandMaryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
during a rehearsal of emergency operation plans following a Russian nuclear attack. - Mount Weather was mentioned as the emergency facility in the case of a Soviet nuclear attack from Cuba during the Cuban Missile CrisisCuban Missile CrisisThe Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation among the Soviet Union, Cuba and the United States in October 1962, during the Cold War...
in the 2000 film2000 in filmThe year 2000 in film involved some significant events.The top grosser worldwide was Mission: Impossible II. Domestically in North America, Gladiator won the Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Actor ....
Thirteen DaysThirteen Days (film)Thirteen Days is a 2000 docudrama directed by Roger Donaldson about the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, seen from the perspective of the US political leadership. Kevin Costner stars, with Bruce Greenwood featured as John F. Kennedy....
. - In the final episode of The X-FilesThe X-FilesThe X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...
, entitled "The TruthThe Truth (The X-Files)"The Truth" is the collective name for the 201st and 202nd, and final, episodes of the science fiction television series The X-Files. They first aired in the United States on May 19, 2002 on Fox in the United States and Canada. "The Truth" subsequently aired in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It...
", ex-FBI agent Fox MulderFox MulderFBI Special Agent Fox William Mulder is a fictional character and protagonist in the American Fox television shows The X-Files and The Lone Gunmen, two science fiction shows about a government conspiracy to hide or deny the truth of Alien existence. Mulder's peers consider his theories on...
enters the Mount Weather complex, which is controlled by a shadow governmentShadow government (conspiracy)The term shadow government besides its party political meaning can also refer to what is sometimes called "the secret government" or "the invisible government" , an idea based on the notion that real and actual political power does not reside with publicly elected representatives but with private...
. - In the 2008 remakeThe Day the Earth Stood Still (2008 film)The Day the Earth Stood Still is a 2008 science fiction film, a remake of the 1951 film of the same name. The screenplay is based on the 1940 classic science fiction short story "Farewell to the Master" by Harry Bates, and the 1951 screenplay adaptation by Edmund H...
of The Day the Earth Stood Still, Klaatu's robot is taken to Mount Weather for analysis. - In the episode of Earth: Final ConflictEarth: Final ConflictEarth: Final Conflict is a Canadian science fiction television series based on story ideas created by Gene Roddenberry, and produced under the guidance of his widow, Majel Barrett-Roddenberry. It was not produced, filmed or broadcast until after his death...
(Season 2), entitled "Message in a Bottle", Mount Weather is a hideout of a group of United States soldiers against the Taelon aliens. - In the Vince FlynnVince FlynnVince Flynn is a best-selling American author of political thriller novels. He lives with his wife and three children in the Twin Cities. He was a frequent guest on the Glenn Beck program on the Fox News Channel...
novel Memorial DayMemorial Day (2004 novel)Memorial Day is Vince Flynn's sixth novel, and the fifth to feature Mitch Rapp, an American CIA agent that works for the counterterrorism unit "Orion Team". WorldCat shows that the book is in over 1800 US and Canadian libraries...
, the main character Mitch RappMitch RappMitch Rapp is a fictional character in a series of novels by Vince Flynn and in the planned film adaptation of what was to be Consent to Kill, but now changed to American Assassin.http://www.movierewind.com/2011/new-mitch-rapp-movie/ The character first appeared in ISBN 0-671-02319-5 Transfer of...
recovers a nuclear bomb brought to Washington, D.C., by terrorists. Unable to disarm the device, and without enough time to get it clear of the area, he transports it by helicopter to an evacuated Mount Weather where he sends it by elevator to the deepest level and seals the facility. It detonates and the blast is contained, sacrificing the facility, but saving the surrounding area.