Mount Weather is an underground U.S. government facility on the Virginia–West Virginia border that serves as a continuity-of-government relocation site. In the event of a nuclear or comparable attack on the United States, the President, Vice President, their families, the Cabinet, and Congressional leadership and their families can be evacuated to Mount Weather. A second facility of comparable function exists in Colorado.[1]
Operational protocol
If a credible threat to the United States is identified — “like we believed there could be on 9/11” — the continuity plan is executed. The President travels with the nuclear football, allowing him to authorize a launch from Mount Weather, from the Colorado facility, or from Air Force One, which is kept in the air “flying in circles someplace” during the threat period.[2][3]
Who is not on the list
The Mount Weather and Colorado evacuation lists are limited to senior government officials and their immediate families. Civilian residents of the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area — including John Kiriakou himself, who lives approximately three miles from the White House — are not on any list. “For the rest of us — yeah. I live three miles from the White House, so I don’t think I’m going to make it out.”[2]
In the event of an actual nuclear strike on Washington, the consensus assessment is that civilians in close proximity to the White House would not experience the impact: “You won’t feel anything. It’ll be fast.”[2]