[mtbopfuyn]

"red" would essentially mean all non essential transportation systems would be shut down. no one would fly, no one would go to work.

There's no way Ridge would do that unless it was moments before a specific known attack. Can you imagine the uproar if a liberal didn't get to grandma's in time for the grab fest?

[WackyKat]

I've read that the "Red" level is reserved for severe and imminent threats, meaning that attackers are actually known to be moving to carry out an attack

For example, if a suicide bomber was known to be on the streets fo NYC.

Red is supposed to shut down transportation, set up checkpoints, etc- it is far more stringent than Orange