Helicopter with Iranian President and Foreign Minister down

[Zaphod58]

 

Depends on where he is and what he's doing, as well as the information being briefed.  He was travelling today anyway, so it was a simple matter to reroute to DC from Atlanta instead of going to Detroit.  With it being a fluid situation, and information changing rapidly, it makes sense to use the situation room.

As for survival gear, of course it does, but flares don't work well in fog, rain and snow which they have now.  Radios don't work well in mountains unless you're practically right on top of them or high enough above them to detect the signal.  The odds are there are no survivors, but that terrain and weather means survival gear usefulness, other than keeping people warm and alive is significantly reduced.