Submitted by: BORJA, Carmina S.

TERRORISM
Terrorism is the use of force or violence against persons or property for the purpose of
intimidation, coercion, or ransom. Terrorists often use violence and threats to create fear
among the public, to try to convince people that their government is powerless to prevent acts
of terrorism, and to get immediate publicity for their causes. Acts of terrorism can range from
threats to actual assassinations, kidnappings, airline hijackings, bomb scares, car bombs,
building explosions, mailings of dangerous infectious materials, agro-terrorism, computer-
based attacks, and the use of chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons.

People face threats of terrorism posed by extremist groups, individuals, and hostile
governments. Terrorists can be domestic or foreign, and their threats to people, communities,
and the nation range from isolated acts of terrorism to acts of war. High-risk terrorism 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. They are capable of spreading fear by sending explosives or
chemical and biological agents through the mail.

PREPAREDNESS AND THREAT CONDITIONS

The five threat conditions are:

 Low (green): low risk of terrorist attacks

 Guarded (blue): general risk of terrorist attacks
 Elevated (yellow): significant risk of terrorist attacks
 High (orange): high risk of terrorist attacks
 Severe (red): severe risk of terrorist attacks

In case of a terrorist act of any kind, you should pay close attention to official instructions
via radio, television, and whatever other means of alerting, warning, and providing instructions
officials may use. In the immediate area of a terrorist act, officials of the local police, fire, and
other safety departments are the best sources of information and instructions.

GENERAL PRECAUTIONS

Within the immediate area of a terrorist act, you would need to rely on police, fire, and
other officials for instructions. However, you can be ready for terrorism in much the same way
you would stay alert for other emergencies.

You Should:
 Be aware of your surroundings.
 Move or leave if you feel uncomfortable or if something does not seem right.
 Be prepared to evacuate or to take shelter if officials instruct you to do so.
Submitted by: BORJA, Carmina S.

 Take precautions when traveling.

 Be aware of conspicuous or unusual behavior.
 Do not accept packages from strangers.
 Do not leave luggage unattended.
 Promptly report unusual behavior, suspicious or unattended packages, and strange
devices to the police or security personnel.
 Learn where emergency exits are located in buildings you frequent. Plan how to get out
in the event of an emergency.
 Know the location and availability of hard hats in buildings in which you spend a lot of
time.
 Be prepared to do without services you normally depend on—electricity, telephones,
natural gas, gasoline pumps, cash registers, ATMs, and Internet transactions.
 Also choose the room or space for a tornado shelter and protection from radiation,
preferably in the basement or for protection against a chemical agent, choose a room
on a higher floor, preferably an inner room most easily sealed against outside air in
which to “Shelter-in-Place”.
 Learn what the plans are for each threat condition at your workplace, at your children’s
schools or daycare centers, or any other place members of your household spend time.
 Check with school officials to determine their plans for an emergency and procedures to
reunite children with parents and caregivers.
 If you live in an apartment building, discuss with the building manager what
preparations management has made and exactly what you should do during an
emergency.
 If you have a mobility problem or other special need, make emergency plans for
warning, evacuation, and shelter with your family, friends, employer, co-workers, and
building manager.
 Contact your neighbors to discuss their plans and needs.
 Develop alternative routes to and from school, work, and other places to which you
routinely travel. Have all drivers in your household practice them.
 Learn your community’s public warning system. Learn what the warning signals sound
like and what you should do when you are notified.
 Keep informed by routinely listening to a local radio or television station.
 In addition to your Family Disaster Plan, be prepared with a disaster plan at work, at
school, or wherever you spend considerable time.
 Learn where emergency exits are located in buildings you frequent.
 Notice where exits are when you enter unfamiliar buildings.
 Plan how to get out of a building, subway, congested public area, or traffic in an
emergency.
 Notice where staircases are located.
 Notice heavy or breakable objects that could move, fall, or break in an explosion.
Submitted by: BORJA, Carmina S.

Specific Types of Terrorism

While there are general precautions you and your family can take to help prepare for
various types of disasters, many protective measures, such as those that follow, are addressed
to one or more specific kinds of hazards and the nature of the threats they pose.

BUILDING EXPLOSION

The most common terrorist attacks, those that have caused the most casualties and
damage, have been explosions. Explosions can collapse buildings and cause fires.

If you live or work in a large or multi-level building, or visit one frequently, you should:
 Know where emergency exits are located.
 Review and practice emergency evacuation procedures.

Make sure that the following items are on your floor of the building and you know where to
find them:

 Fire extinguishers in working order. (Make sure you know how to use them.)
 A portable, battery-operated radio or television and extra, fresh batteries.
 Flashlights and extra, fresh batteries.
 Hard hats.
 First aid kit and first aid manual.
 Bright-colored tape to rope off dangerous areas.

If an Explosion Occurs at Work or in a Public Building, Sports Arena, or Stadium:

 Leave the building as quickly as possible. Do not stop to retrieve anything or to make
phone calls.
 Take the stairs, not an elevator.
 If things are falling around you, get under a sturdy table or other object that can shield
you until they stop falling. Then leave quickly, watching for weakened floors and stairs
and falling debris as you exit.
 In an open arena or stadium without a dome, the open field may be the safest place,
however crowded, until things stop falling.
 If there is a fire, stay low to the floor and exit the building as quickly as possible.

If You Are Trapped by Debris:

 Do not light a match.
 Do not move about or stir up dust.
 Cover your mouth with a densely woven handkerchief or clothing.
 Rhythmically tap on a pipe or wall so that rescuers can hear where you are.
 Use a whistle if one is available.
 Shout only as a last resort when you hear sounds and think someone will hear you.
Submitted by: BORJA, Carmina S.

 Cover your mouth and nose with a handkerchief or cloth instantly after each shout to
prevent dust inhalation. Shouting can cause a person to inhale dangerous amounts of
dust.

CHEMICAL WEAPONS

Chemical agents are poisonous vapors, aerosols, liquids, and solids that have toxic
effects on people, animals, or plants. They can be released by bombs or sprayed from aircraft,
boats, and vehicles. They can be used as a liquid to create a hazard to people and the
environment. Some chemical agents may be odorless and tasteless. They can have an
immediate effect (a few seconds to a few minutes) or a delayed effect (2 to 48 hours). Chemical
agents that are potentially lethal are difficult to deliver in lethal concentrations. Outdoors, the
agents often dissipate rapidly. Chemical agents are also difficult to produce.

A chemical attack could come without warning. Signs of a chemical release include
people having difficulty breathing, experiencing eye irritation, losing coordination, becoming
nauseous, or having a burning sensation in the nose, throat, and lungs. Also, the presence of
many dead insects or birds may indicate a chemical agent release.

Be Prepared for a Chemical Weapon

 Check your survival kits and supplies to make sure you have available and ready to use.
 Listen to the radio for local emergency news and information for evacuation or
sheltering in place.
 Implement you family disaster plan.
 Pet owners should encourage local health authorities to have plans for people and their
pets to be decontaminated together, where they can be treated quickly, to prevent
repeated cross-contamination.

During a Chemical Attack

The following are guidelines for what you should do in a chemical attack.

If You Are Instructed to Shelter-In Place in your Home or Office Building, You Should:
 Close and lock all windows and exterior doors.
 Keep your pets with you, and have additional food, water, and cleaning supplies for
them.
 Turn off all ventilation, including furnaces, air conditioners, vents, and fans.
 Move to shelter in an internal room and take your Survival Kits and Emergency supplies,
which should include a working battery-powered or Dynamo radio.
 Seal the room with duct tape, plastic sheeting, and modeling clay. Use duct tape with a
minimum thickness of 10 millimeters and pre-cut plastic sheeting with a thickness of 4
to 6 millimeters or greater to seal all cracks around doors, windows, and vents, and all
wall plugs, switch plates, and cables. Use duct tape to seal around pipes and to seal off
drains or other such openings.
Submitted by: BORJA, Carmina S.

 If you are told there is danger of an explosion, close the window shades, blinds, or
curtains.
 Call your emergency contact. Ideally, your room will have a hard-wired telephone.
Cellular telephone service may be overwhelmed or damaged during an emergency. You
will need a working phone if you have to report a life-threatening emergency.
 Keep listening to your radio or television until you are told all is safe or you are told to
evacuate. Local officials may call for evacuation of specific areas of greatest risk.

At Home
 Close the fireplace damper.
 Bring your pets with you, and be sure to bring additional food and water for them.
 Keep pets under your direct control. If you have to evacuate, you will not lose time
trying to find them.
 Have plenty of plastic bags and newspapers (puppy training pads are also useful for
this), as well as containers and cleaning supplies to deal with pet waste.

If You are Caught in an Unprotected Area, You Should:

 Move away from the contaminated area immediately.
 Get upwind of the contaminated area.
 Find shelter as quickly as possible.

After a Chemical Attack

Decontamination is needed within minutes of exposure to minimize health
consequences. Do not leave the safety of a shelter to go outdoors to help others until
authorities announce it is safe to do so. Anyone affected by a chemical agent requires
immediate medical attention from a professional. If medical help is not immediately available,
decontaminate yourself and assist in decontaminating others.

Chemical Decontamination Guidelines:

 Use extreme caution when helping others who have been exposed to chemical
agents.
 Remove all clothing and other items in contact with the body. Contaminated
clothing normally removed over the head should be cut off to avoid contact with
the eyes, nose, and mouth. Put contaminated clothing and items into a plastic
bag and seal it.
 Decontaminate hands using soap and water. Remove eyeglasses or contact
lenses. Put glasses in a pan of household bleach to decontaminate them, and
then rinse and dry them.
 Flush eyes with water.
 Gently wash face and hair with soap and water; then thoroughly rinse with
water.
 Decontaminate other body areas likely to have been contaminated. Blot (do not
swab or scrape) with a cloth soaked in soapy water and rinse with clear water.
Submitted by: BORJA, Carmina S.

 Change into uncontaminated clothes. Clothing stored in drawers or closets is

likely to be uncontaminated.
 Proceed to a medical facility for screening and professional treatment.

BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS

Biological agents are organisms or toxins that can kill or incapacitate people, livestock,
and crops. The three basic groups of biological agents that would likely be used as weapons are
bacteria, viruses, and toxins. Most biological agents are difficult to grow and maintain. Many
break down quickly when exposed to sunlight and other environmental factors, while others,
such as anthrax spores, are very long lived.
Terrorists can disperse biological agents by spraying them into the air, by infecting
animals that carry the disease to humans and by contaminating food and water.

Delivery Methods Include:

 Aerosols - biological agents can be dispersed into the air as a fine mist or powder
that may drift for miles. Inhaling the agent may cause disease in people or
animals.
 Animals - some diseases can be spread by insects and animals, such as fleas,
mice, flies, mosquitoes, and livestock.
 Food and water contamination - some pathogenic organisms and toxins can
persist in food and water supplies. Most microbes can be killed and toxins
deactivated by cooking food and boiling water. Most microbes are killed by
boiling water for one minute, but some require more time. Follow official
instructions.
 Person-to-person - a few infectious agents can be spread from person to person.
 Humans have been the source of infection for smallpox, plague, and the Lassa
viruses.

Before a Biological Attack:

 Check with your doctor to ensure that all required or suggested immunizations
are up to date. Children and the elderly are particularly vulnerable to biological
agents.
 Consider installing a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter in your furnace
return duct. These filters remove particles in the 0.3- to 10-micron range. They
will filter out most biological agents that may enter your home. If you do not
have a central heating or cooling system, a stand-alone portable HEPA filter can
be used.

If You are Exposed:

 If the disease is contagious, expect to receive medical evaluation and treatment.
You may be advised to stay away from others.
 If you have been exposed, you might be quarantined.
Submitted by: BORJA, Carmina S.

 For non-contagious diseases, expect to receive medical evaluation and

treatment.
If You Become Aware of an Unusual and Suspicious Substance Nearby:
 Quickly get away.
 Wash with soap and water.
 Contact authorities.
 Watch TV, listen to the radio, or check the Internet for official news and
information including what the signs and symptoms of the disease are, if
medications or vaccinations are being distributed, and where you should get
medical attention if you become sick.
 If you become sick, get medical attention.