white House intelligence Bunker

White House Intelligence Bankar.

Amid the ongoing protest against police brutality and racism over the murder of George Floyd in the US, US President Trump was sent to the bunker by Secret Service officials.  In the US this bunker is known as PEOC.

 According to several reports, the US president was sent to the bunker for an hour amid protests near the White House.  However, in an interview with Fox News Radio, President Trump claimed the news to be false and said that he had only been in a safe zone for some time.  He further stated that he had gone to the bunker only for the purpose of investigation.  With this he said that he had gone down during the day and that he was not in the bunker during the protests.

What is PEOC?

 The Presidential Emergency Operations Center (PEOC) is a bunker under the East Wing of the White House, designed to provide security to the US President and other officials in times of emergency.

Structure of PEOC

 Under the leadership of then President Barack Obama, secret construction work was done in the White House under the name Relocating Utilities.  It was constructed to relocate the American leadership and provide shelter in the event of an emergency.

 The PEOC is designed in such a way that nuclear, biological and radiological attacks on the White House will have no effect on it.  It is five storeys deep and has all the facilities ranging from food, water, self-contained air supply etc., which can last for months.

 In addition to the Safe House, the White House has several tunnels — one from the basement of the East Wing to the Treasury basement, the other tunnel from Pennsylvania Avenue down to a building across the street and the third tunnel from the Oval Office down the South Lawn, directly to the President  Helicopter to reach.

 According to the New York Times, US President Trump was escorted to the bunker amid skirmishes outside the White House.  In addition, the lights outside the White House were switched off, indicating that the president had been taken to the bunker.  However, these reports have been denied by the President.