COLUMBUS, Ohio – Security officials and event organizers across Ohio and the rest of the nation are reviewing their plans in the wake of yesterday’s deadly bombing at the Boston Marathon.
The death toll remains at three, with well over 100 injured — 17 of them critically — after twin blasts rocked the area near the finish line of the race yesterday afternoon.
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A massive investigation is underway and 15 blocks of downtown Boston are being treated as a crime scene and are closed off to cars and pedestrians.
There’s no word yet if any central Ohio runners were among those injured in the bombing, but several local runners nearby when two explosions ripped through the crowd say it was a horrific and chaotic scene.
They described people running in panic and lots of blood while they tried to reach a safe area.
“There were two huge explosions and we turned around and there were big puffs of white smoke and we’re just hearing that dozens of people were hurt,” Ladd Clifford of Medina said.
“People were starting to panic because many people didn’t have their phones or anything with them and they were worried they weren’t going to catch up with their families. They were worried about their families,” Barbara Grant, a participant from Westerville, said.
Organizers of local races say they will make sure their next events are safe and secure.
Capital City Half Marathon officials say Columbus police already sweep the course for explosives and officers are well trained to protect large crowds but will review their procedures.
“Obviously yesterday changed the game,” race director David Babner told Sunny 95 morning hosts Dino and Stacy this morning.
Race organizers and security officials will meet this week to dicuss any changes in plans for the May 4 event.
“We’ll follow the advice of Homeland Security and Columbus police and fire. My expectation is that we’re going to sweep the start line, we’re going to sweep the finish line at the Columbus Commons, we’re going to sweep the areas on our course that have a significant amount of people around them,” Babner said.
Komen Race for the Cure organizers say they’ll review their security plan and beef it up, if necessary.
Organizers of the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon say discussions are underway about adding security for this year’s race. A meeting today will review plans to make the race course safe and secure for runners and spectators, executive director Jack Staph said.
“We have a fairly good protocol for security. We definitely will study what happened in Boston, increase our security for sure,” Staph said.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol does not divulge specific security measures but officials are monitoring developments in Boston and troopers remain vigilant, spokeswoman Lt. Anne Ralston said.
Ohioans are encouraged to report any suspicious activity by calling 911 or 1-877-OHS-INTEL.
Cleveland Police Chief Michael McGrath says there were no threats directed towards the city, but downtown patrols were beefed up yesterday as a precaution.
Flying Pig Marathon organizers in Cincinnati will take part in a safety audit today, to find out if the plans they have in place will be enough next month, when over 20,000 people are expected on race day.
Organizers of the Air Force Marathon are looking at security upgrades to protect runners and spectators. Wright-Patterson Air Force Base officials say they’ll prepare for what happened in Boston and work to deter a copycat bombing. As many as 15,000 runners are expected to be on base in September for the marathon.