<\/p>\n
National Security Emergencies<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n In addition to the natural and technological hazards described in this publication, Americans face threats posed by hostile governments or extremist groups. These threats to national security include acts of terrorism and acts of war. The following is general information about national security emergencies.<\/p>\n Terrorism<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Terrorism is the use of force or violence against persons or property in violation of the criminal laws of the United States for purposes of intimidation, coercion or ransom. Terrorists often use threats to create fear among the public, to try to convince citizens that their government is powerless to prevent terrorism, and to get immediate publicity for their causes.<\/p>\n Acts of terrorism range from threats of terrorism, assassinations, kidnappings, hijackings, bomb scares and bombings, cyber attacks (computer-based), to the use of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons. High-risk targets include military and civilian government facilities, international airports, large cities and high-profile landmarks. Terrorists might also target large public gatherings, water and food supplies, utilities, and corporate centers. Further, they are capable of spreading fear by sending explosives or chemical and biological agents through the mail. In the immediate area of a terrorist event, you would need to rely on police, fire and other officials for instructions. However, you can prepare in much the same way you would prepare for other crisis events.<\/p>\n Preparing for terrorism<\/p>\n Protection against cyber attacks<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Cyber attacks target computer or telecommunication networks of critical infrastructures such as power systems, traffic control systems, or financial systems. Cyber attacks target information technologies (IT) in three different ways. First, is a direct attack against an information system \u201cthrough the wires alone (hacking). Second, the attack can be a physical assault against a critical IT element. Third, the attack can be from the inside as a result of compromising a trusted party with access to the system.<\/p>\n Be prepared to do without services you normally depend on that could be disrupted electricity, telephone, natural gas, gasoline pumps, cash registers, ATM machines, and internet transactions.<\/p>\n Be prepared to respond to official instructions if a cyber attack triggers other hazards, for example, general evacuation, evacuation to shelter, or shelter-in-place, because of hazardous materials releases, nuclear power plant incident, dam or flood control system failures.<\/p>\n Preparing for a building explosion<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Explosions can collapse buildings and cause fires. People who live or work in a multi-level building can do the following:<\/p>\n 1. Review emergency evacuation procedures. Know where emergency exits are located.<\/p>\n 2. Keep fire extinguishers in working order. Know where they are located, and learn how to use them.<\/p>\n 3. Learn first aid. Contact the local chapter of the American Red Cross for information and training.<\/p>\n 4. Building owners should keep the following items in a designated place on each floor of the building.<\/p>\n * Portable, battery-operated radio and extra batteries<\/p>\n * Several flashlights and extra batteries<\/p>\n * First aid kit and manual<\/p>\n * Several hard hats<\/p>\n * Fluorescent tape to rope off dangerous areas<\/p>\n Bomb Threats<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n If you receive a bomb threat, get as much information from the caller as possible. Keep the caller on the line and record everything that is said. Then notify the police and the building management.<\/p>\n If you are notified of a bomb threat, do not touch any suspicious packages. Clear the area around suspicious packages and notify the police immediately. In evacuating a building, don\u2019t stand in front of windows, glass doors or other potentially hazardous areas. Do not block sidewalk or streets to be used by emergency officials or others still exiting the building.<\/p>\n Suspicious parcels and letters <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Be wary of suspicious packages and letters. They can contain explosives, chemical or biological agents. Be particularly cautious at your place of employment.<\/p>\n Some typical characteristics postal inspectors have detected over the years, which ought to trigger suspicion, include parcels that<\/p>\n With suspicious envelopes and packages other than those that might contain explosives, take these additional steps against possible biological and chemical agents.<\/p>\n What to do if there is an explosion <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Leave the building as quickly as possible. Do not stop to retrieve personal possessions or make phone calls. If things are falling around you, get under a sturdy table or desk until they stop falling. Then leave quickly, watching for weakened floors and stairs and falling debris as you exit.<\/p>\n Chemical and Biological Weapons <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n In case of a chemical or biological weapon attack near you, authorities will instruct<\/p>\n you on the best course of action. This may be to evacuate the area immediately,<\/p>\n to seek shelter at a designated location, or to take immediate shelter<\/p>\n where you are and seal the premises. The best way to protect yourself<\/p>\n is to take emergency preparedness measures ahead of time and to get medical<\/p>\n attention as soon as possible, if needed.<\/p>\n Chemical<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Chemical warfare agents are poisonous vapors, aerosols, liquids or solids that<\/p>\n have toxic effects on people, animals or plants. They can be released<\/p>\n by bombs, sprayed from aircraft, boats, or vehicles, or used as a liquid<\/p>\n to create a hazard to people and the environment. Some chemical agents<\/p>\n may be odorless and tasteless. They can have an immediate effect (a few<\/p>\n seconds to a few minutes) or a delayed effect (several hours to several<\/p>\n days). While potentially lethal, chemical agents are difficult to deliver<\/p>\n in lethal concentrations. Outdoors, the agents often dissipate rapidly.<\/p>\n Chemical agents are also difficult to produce.<\/p>\n There are six types of agents: <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Biological<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Biological agents are organisms or toxins that can kill or incapacitate people, livestock<\/p>\n and crops. The three basic groups of biological agents which would likely<\/p>\n be used as weapons are bacteria, viruses, and toxins.<\/p>\n and are easy to grow. The diseases they produce often respond to treatment<\/p>\n with antibiotics.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n and are intimately dependent upon the body they infect. Viruses produce<\/p>\n diseases which generally do not respond to antibiotics. However, antiviral<\/p>\n drugs are sometimes effective.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n plants, animals, or microorganisms; some toxins can be produced or altered<\/p>\n by chemical means. Some toxins can be treated with specific antitoxins<\/p>\n and selected drugs.<\/p>\n Most biological agents are difficult to grow and maintain. Many break down quickly when<\/p>\n exposed to sunlight and other environmental factors, while others such<\/p>\n as anthrax spores are very long lived. They can be dispersed by spraying<\/p>\n them in the air, or infecting animals which carry the disease to humans<\/p>\n as well through food and water contamination.<\/p>\n Anthrax spores formulated as a white powder were mailed to individuals in the government<\/p>\n and media in the fall of 2001. Postal sorting machines and the opening<\/p>\n of letters dispersed the spores as aerosols. Several deaths resulted.<\/p>\n The effect was to disrupt mail service and to cause a widespread fear<\/p>\n of handling delivered mail among the public.<\/p>\n Person-to-person spread of a few infectious agents is also possible. Humans have been the<\/p>\n source of infection for smallpox, plague, and the Lassa viruses.<\/p>\n What to do to prepare for a chemical or biological attack <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n each opening.<\/li>\n What to do during a chemical or biological attack <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n \n <\/p>\n What to do after a chemical attack <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Immediate symptoms of exposure to chemical agents may include blurred vision, eye<\/p>\n irritation, difficulty breathing and nausea. A person affected by a chemical<\/p>\n or biological agent requires immediate attention by professional medical<\/p>\n personnel. If medical help is not immediately available, decontaminate<\/p>\n yourself and assist in decontaminating others. Decontamination is needed<\/p>\n within minutes of exposure to minimize health consequences. (However,<\/p>\n you should not leave the safety of a shelter to go outdoors to help others<\/p>\n until authorities announce it is safe to do so.)<\/p>\n or contact lenses. Put glasses in a pan of household bleach to decontaminate.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n What to do after a biological attack <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n In many biological attacks, people will not know they have been exposed to an agent. In such<\/p>\n situations, the first evidence of an attack may be when you notice symptoms<\/p>\n of the disease caused by an agent exposure, and you should seek immediate<\/p>\n medical attention for treatment. In some situations, like the anthrax letters sent in 2001, people may be alerted to a potential exposure.<\/p>\n If this is the case, pay close attention to all official warnings and instructions<\/p>\n on how to proceed. The delivery of medical services for a biological event<\/p>\n may be handled differently to respond to increased demand. Again, it will<\/p>\n be important for you to pay attention to official instructions via radio,<\/p>\n television, and emergency alert systems. If your skin or clothing comes<\/p>\n in contact with a visible, potentially infectious substance, you should<\/p>\n remove and bag your clothes and personal items and wash yourself with<\/p>\n warm soapy water immediately. Put on clean clothes and seek medical assistance.<\/p>\n For more information, visit the website for the Centers for Disease Control<\/p>\n and Prevention, www.bt.cdc.gov.<\/p>\n Nuclear and Radiological Attack <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Nuclear explosions can cause deadly effects\u2014blinding light, intense heat (thermal radiation),<\/p>\n initial nuclear radiation, blast, fires started by the heat pulse, and<\/p>\n secondary fires caused by the destruction. They also produce radioactive<\/p>\n particles called fallout that can be carried by wind for hundreds of miles.<\/p>\n Terrorist use of a radiological dispersion device (RDD)\u2014often called \u201ddirty nuke\u201d<\/p>\n or \u201cdirty bomb\u201d\u2014is considered far more likely than use of a nuclear device.<\/p>\n These radiological weapons are a combination of conventional explosives<\/p>\n and radioactive material designed to scatter dangerous and sub-lethal<\/p>\n amounts of radioactive material over a general area. Such radiological<\/p>\n weapons appeal to terrorists because they require very little technical<\/p>\n knowledge to build and deploy compared to that of a nuclear device. Also,<\/p>\n these radioactive materials, used widely in medicine, agriculture, industry<\/p>\n and research, are much more readily available and easy to obtain compared<\/p>\n to weapons grade uranium or plutonium.<\/p>\n Terrorist use of a nuclear device would probably be limited to a single smaller<\/p>\n \u201csuitcase\u201d weapon. The strength of such a weapon would be in the range<\/p>\n of the bombs used during World War II. The nature of the effects would<\/p>\n be the same as a weapon delivered by an inter-continental missile, but<\/p>\n the area and severity of the effects would be significantly more limited.<\/p>\n There is no way of knowing how much warning time there would be before an attack<\/p>\n by a terrorist using a nuclear or radiological weapon. A surprise attack<\/p>\n remains a possibility.<\/p>\n The danger of a massive strategic nuclear attack on the United States involving many<\/p>\n weapons receded with the end of the Cold War. However, some terrorists<\/p>\n have been supported by nations that have nuclear weapons programs.<\/p>\n If there were threat of an attack from a hostile nation, people living near potential<\/p>\n targets could be advised to evacuate or they could decide on their own<\/p>\n to evacuate to an area not considered a likely target. Protection from<\/p>\n radioactive fallout would require taking shelter in an underground area,<\/p>\n or in the middle of a large building.<\/p>\n In general, potential targets include: <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Taking shelter during a nuclear attack is absolutely necessary. There are two kinds of<\/p>\n shelters\u2014blast and fallout.<\/p>\n Blast shelters offer some protection against blast pressure, initial radiation, heat<\/p>\n and fire, but even a blast shelter could not withstand a direct hit from<\/p>\n a nuclear detonation.<\/p>\n Fallout shelters do not need to be specially constructed for that purpose. They can be<\/p>\n any protected space, provided that the walls and roof are thick and dense<\/p>\n enough to absorb the radiation given off by fallout particles. The three<\/p>\n protective factors of a fallout shelter are shielding, distance, and time.<\/p>\n that level on which significant fallout particles would collect. Flat<\/p>\n roofs collect fallout particles so the top floor is not a good choice,<\/p>\n nor is a floor adjacent to a neighboring flat roof.<\/li>\n Remember that any protection, however temporary, is better than none at all, and<\/p>\n the more shielding, distance and time you can take advantage of, the better.<\/p>\n Electromagnetic pulse <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n In addition to other effects, a nuclear weapon detonated in or above the earth\u2019s atmosphere<\/p>\n can create an electromagnetic pulse (EMP), a high-density electrical field.<\/p>\n EMP acts like a stroke of lightning but is stronger, faster and briefer.<\/p>\n EMP can seriously damage electronic devices connected to power sources<\/p>\n or antennas. This include communication systems, computers, electrical<\/p>\n appliances, and automobile or aircraft ignition systems. The damage could<\/p>\n range from a minor interruption to actual burnout of components. Most<\/p>\n electronic equipment within 1,000 miles of a high-altitude nuclear detonation<\/p>\n could be affected. Battery powered radios with short antennas generally<\/p>\n would not be affected.<\/p>\n Although EMP is unlikely to harm most people, it could harm those with pacemakers<\/p>\n or other implanted electronic devices.<\/p>\n What to do before a nuclear or radiological attack<\/p>\n What to do during a nuclear or radiological attack <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n If you hear an attack warning:<\/p>\n the three protective factors: shielding, distance and time.<\/li>\n What to do after a nuclear or radiological attack <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n In a public or home shelter:<\/p>\n Returning to your home <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Homeland Security Advisory System <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n The Homeland Security Advisory System was designed to provide a comprehensive means<\/p>\n to disseminate information regarding the risk of terrorist acts to federal,<\/p>\n state, and local authorities and to the American people. This system provides<\/p>\n warnings in the form of a set of graduated \u201cThreat Conditions\u201d that increase<\/p>\n as the risk of the threat increases. At each threat condition, federal<\/p>\n departments and agencies would implement a corresponding set of \u201cProtective<\/p>\n Measures\u201d to further reduce vulnerability or increase response capability<\/p>\n during a period of heightened alert.<\/p>\n Although the Homeland Security Advisory System is binding on the executive branch,<\/p>\n it is voluntary to other levels of government and the private sector.<\/p>\n There are five threat conditions, each identified by a description and<\/p>\n corresponding color.<\/p>\n The greater the risk of a terrorist attack, the higher the threat condition. Risk<\/p>\n includes both the probability of an attack occurring and its potential<\/p>\n gravity.<\/p>\n Threat conditions are assigned by the Attorney General in consultation with the Assistant<\/p>\n to the President for Homeland Security. Threat conditions may be assigned<\/p>\n for the entire nation, or they may be set for a particular geographic<\/p>\n area or industrial sector. Assigned threat conditions will be reviewed<\/p>\n at regular intervals to determine whether adjustments are warranted.<\/p>\n Threat Conditions and Associated Protective Measures <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n There is always a risk of a terrorist threat. Each threat condition assigns a level<\/p>\n of alert appropriate to the increasing risk of terrorist attacks. Beneath<\/p>\n each threat condition are some suggested protective measures that the<\/p>\n government and the public can take, recognizing that the heads of federal<\/p>\n departments and agencies are responsible for developing and implementing<\/p>\n appropriate agency-specific Protective Measures:<\/p>\n Low Condition (Green). This condition is declared when there is a low risk of terrorist<\/p>\n attacks. Federal departments and agencies will consider the following<\/p>\n protective measures.<\/p>\n Members of the public can:<\/p>\n Guarded Condition (Blue). This condition is declared when there is a general risk of terrorist<\/p>\n attacks. In addition to the measures taken in the previous threat condition,<\/p>\n federal departments and agencies will consider the following protective<\/p>\n measures:<\/p>\n Members of the public, in addition to the actions taken for the previous threat condition,<\/p>\n can:<\/p>\n Elevated Condition (Yellow). An Elevated Condition is declared when there is a<\/p>\n significant risk of terrorist attacks. In addition to the measures taken<\/p>\n in the previous threat conditions, federal departments and agencies will<\/p>\n consider the following protective measures:<\/p>\n Members of the public, in addition to the actions taken for the previous threat condition,<\/p>\n can:<\/p>\n High Condition (Orange). A High Condition is declared when there is a high risk of terrorist<\/p>\n attacks. In addition to the measures taken in the previous threat conditions,<\/p>\n federal departments and agencies will consider the following protective<\/p>\n measures:<\/p>\n Members of the public, in addition to the actions taken for the previous threat conditions,<\/p>\n can:<\/p>\n Severe Condition (Red). A Severe Condition reflects a severe risk of terrorist attacks.<\/p>\n Under most circumstances, the protective measures for a Severe Condition<\/p>\n are not intended to be sustained for substantial periods of time. In addition<\/p>\n to the protective measures in the previous threat conditions, federal<\/p>\n departments and agencies also will consider the following general measures:<\/p>\n Members of the public, in addition to the actions taken for the previous threat conditions,<\/p>\n can:<\/p>\n National Security Emergencies In addition to the natural and technological hazards described in this publication, Americans face threats posed by hostile governments or extremist groups. These threats to national security include acts of terrorism and acts of war. The following is general information about national security emergencies. Terrorism Terrorism is the use of force or […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":128,"featured_media":31968,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nationalterroralert.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3291"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nationalterroralert.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nationalterroralert.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nationalterroralert.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/128"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nationalterroralert.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3291"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/nationalterroralert.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3291\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31970,"href":"https:\/\/nationalterroralert.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3291\/revisions\/31970"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nationalterroralert.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31968"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nationalterroralert.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3291"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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