Guys,
I thought this to be important enough to pass along. She
makes some very good points.
Rich
As an Emergency Manager with the U.S. Government, I have privileged
information to the current events and those events that may happen in
the near future. At this time, I want to take this opportunity to
give you some general advice for survival if a terrorist act hits
very close to home that could potentially incapacitate you. Here are
some suggestions to be prepared:
Treat this situation as if it were a major earthquake or other natural
disaster.
1. If terrorism strikes in your state or even region, cellular phone
systems will go out due to the overloading of the system and the
resultant crash of the network. Also your regular phones may be
disrupted and the
state of emergency may result in 1/3 of your region's lines being
turned off for periods of time so that the system doesn't overload. This is similar to rotating blackouts, only on the phone lines. Thus, develop
a plan for you and your family members so that you can either meet or be assured they will know how to regain contact with you.
2. Also consider that if family members work or frequently travel to
another city, roads may be blocked or unsafe to travel. Thus, arrange
for those members away from the general home area to divert to a close
friend's house in the city they frequent. Have them stay there until the "all clear" is given. You (and they) will be more assured of their safety. Have backup friends, too. Consider you will not be able to communicate with them for at least four to 24 hours -- again, AT LEAST.
3. Ensure that you frequently refuel your vehicles and that they are
always full with gasoline. Those of you who frequently let your car
go below � tank may not get you home if stuck in local traffic. The
last thing you want is to run out of gas. Remember, gas stations need
electricity to run; and in a terrorist situation, they may be ordered to shut down -- even if there is electricity available.
4. ALWAYS carry cash and lower dollar bills. In a situation with
communications failure, no store can process credit card/ATM
transactions because these require phone lines. If you frequently
forget to keep cash
on you, have $40 in loose bills stored in a secret spot in your car
that you use the most. This way, if you get caught on the road without cash, you have that secret stash.
5. Keep enough water on hand for ONE WEEK. Freshly bottled water.
This is because our municipal water systems ARE at risk. One week
will be sufficient for trucked water to make it in. The traditional
three days is too short.
6. Have your pantry STOCKED with food for one week, too. This should
be food that is very simple to make. You should also have enough
packaged food for a few days that require no cooking, should the
electric systems be taken out.
7. It is a good idea to have a portable emergency kit in a large
duffle bag containing the above items, should you (God forbid) ever
need to be evacuated. This way, you can grab the bag and go.
Essential items should
include medicines (for one week's supply), toilet paper, toothbrushes
and paste, hand sanitizer, water/food, flashlights, portable radios with
plenty of batteries, pen and paper, whistle, rope, duct tape, blankets,
general toiletries, and anything else you feel to sustain you for ONE WEEK.
Believe it or not, this can all fit into one large duffle bag for a regular
sized family.
7. Pets. Make sure you have the appropriate carriers for your pets
and plan for extra water and food for them. It is a good idea to buy
a small bag of food for them and store it with that emergency duffle
bag. Also store leashes/collars, and extra water. Do NOT leave pets unattended. In emergency situations, they know something is wrong, become frightened, and may try to even run away. Be mindful of this.
8. In extreme cases, the Red Cross and local governments utilize
Amateur Radio as a way to pass welfare traffic. The terrorist acts
in NYC left Amateur Radio as the ONLY means of communications in or out of the city. The city's 9-1-1 dispatch center was on the 12th floor of one of the towers. That went down and so did their 9-1-1 system for the whole city. If you evacuate, it is best to go to the Red Cross and have HAM radio pass welfare traffic to your loved ones across the country.
9. If you are home when a situation occurs, STAY THERE. DO NOT go out
and drive around or wander. Subsequent events can immobilize you away
from home and create undue worrying from your family. Doing this also
hampers emergency efforts and obstructs life saving efforts. STAY OFF THE
PHONE.
Calling everyone in the world ties up the phone system and obstructs
emergency services. It is best to CALL ONE party out of state and have
them contact everyone else to let them know you are okay.
10. The notion of this can't happen here was proved wrong. It can and
will happen anywhere. Report suspicious circumstances to law
enforcement immediately. Let them determine the severity of the
situation. If government says get out or to watch out for certain
places, don't take it lightly.
11. Don't panic. Just be prepared. Pull together.
The above can be applied to any disaster (floods, quakes, etc)...It is
also suggested that you research more for other items recommended to stock up on not mentioned here (like clothing, good walking shoes, dust masks).
Take care,
Scott Borgioli , Chief Emergency Communication CenterOfficer/Incident
Commander Chief Radio Officer US Department of Commerce - National
Weather Service
