Clean up on aisle one...
Posted on 11/16/2004 6:43:26 PM PST by Right in Wisconsin
Will someone answer some questions?
Oh yeah. you need an atropine pen for all the members of your family. ouch!
No one has answered you because the chances of your particular family, in Wisconsin, being affect in the slightest way by one crop duster is pretty miniscule. Do you have your kids wear football pads and helmets when they step out the door? Because I'd be much more concerned about them getting hit by a car than the crop duster scenario.
Clean up on aisle one...
I live in the City of Wauwatosa which is a suburb of Milwaukee. One concern I have is that Chicago was referenced as a city of interest for the terrorists. I volunteered for the Red Cross and it was amazing what things you take for granted.
Ignore me! I'm dead!!! ;^)
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For Immediate Release
February 7, 2003
Are You Ready?
Note: To read the other chapters in this online book, please visit: http://www.fema.gov/areyouready/
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. For more information about how to prepare for them, including volunteering in a Citizen Corps program, see the “For More Information” chapter at the end of this guide.
Terrorism
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. 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.
Preparing for terrorism
Protection against cyber attacks
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 “through 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.
Preparing for a building explosion
Explosions can collapse buildings and cause fires. People who live or work in a multi-level building can do the following:
Bomb threats
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.
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’t 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.
Suspicious parcels and letters
Be wary of suspicious packages and letters. They can contain explosives, chemical or biological agents. Be particularly cautious at your place of employment.
Some typical characteristics postal inspectors have detected over the years, which ought to trigger suspicion, include parcels that—
With suspicious envelopes and packages other than those that might contain explosives, take these additional steps against possible biological and chemical agents.
What to do if there is an explosion
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.
Chemical and Biological Weapons
In case of a chemical or biological weapon attack near you, authorities will instruct you on the best course of action. This may be to evacuate the area immediately, to seek shelter at a designated location, or to take immediate shelter where you are and seal the premises. The best way to protect yourself is to take emergency preparedness measures ahead of time and to get medical attention as soon as possible, if needed.
Chemical
Chemical warfare agents are poisonous vapors, aerosols, liquids or solids that have toxic effects on people, animals or plants. They can be released by bombs, sprayed from aircraft, boats, or vehicles, or 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 (several hours to several days). While potentially lethal, chemical agents are difficult to deliver in lethal concentrations. Outdoors, the agents often dissipate rapidly. Chemical agents are also difficult to produce.
There are six types of agents:
Biological
Biological agents are organisms or toxins that can kill or incapacitate people, livestock and crops. The three basic groups of biological agents which 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. They can be dispersed by spraying them in the air, or infecting animals which carry the disease to humans as well through food and water contamination.
Anthrax spores formulated as a white powder were mailed to individuals in the government and media in the fall of 2001. Postal sorting machines and the opening of letters dispersed the spores as aerosols. Several deaths resulted. The effect was to disrupt mail service and to cause a widespread fear of handling delivered mail among the public.
Person-to-person spread of a few infectious agents is also possible. Humans have been the source of infection for smallpox, plague, and the Lassa viruses.
What to do to prepare for a chemical or biological attack
What to do during a chemical or biological attack
What to do after a chemical attack
Immediate symptoms of exposure to chemical agents may include blurred vision, eye irritation, difficulty breathing and nausea. A person affected by a chemical or biological agent requires immediate attention by professional medical personnel. If medical help is not immediately available, decontaminate yourself and assist in decontaminating others. Decontamination is needed within minutes of exposure to minimize health consequences. (However, you should not leave the safety of a shelter to go outdoors to help others until authorities announce it is safe to do so.)
What to do after a biological attack
In many biological attacks, people will not know they have been exposed to an agent. In such situations, the first evidence of an attack may be when you notice symptoms of the disease caused by an agent exposure, and you should seek immediate medical attention for treatment. In some situations, like the anthrax letters sent in 2001, people may be alerted to a potential exposure. If this is the case, pay close attention to all official warnings and instructions on how to proceed. The delivery of medical services for a biological event may be handled differently to respond to increased demand. Again, it will be important for you to pay attention to official instructions via radio, television, and emergency alert systems. If your skin or clothing comes in contact with a visible, potentially infectious substance, you should remove and bag your clothes and personal items and wash yourself with warm soapy water immediately. Put on clean clothes and seek medical assistance. For more information, visit the website for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, www.bt.cdc.gov.
Nuclear and Radiological Attack
Nuclear explosions can cause deadly effects—blinding light, intense heat (thermal radiation), initial nuclear radiation, blast, fires started by the heat pulse, and secondary fires caused by the destruction. They also produce radioactive particles called fallout that can be carried by wind for hundreds of miles.
Terrorist use of a radiological dispersion device (RDD)—often called ”dirty nuke” or “dirty bomb”—is considered far more likely than use of a nuclear device. These radiological weapons are a combination of conventional explosives and radioactive material designed to scatter dangerous and sub-lethal amounts of radioactive material over a general area. Such radiological weapons appeal to terrorists because they require very little technical knowledge to build and deploy compared to that of a nuclear device. Also, these radioactive materials, used widely in medicine, agriculture, industry and research, are much more readily available and easy to obtain compared to weapons grade uranium or plutonium.
Terrorist use of a nuclear device would probably be limited to a single smaller “suitcase” weapon. The strength of such a weapon would be in the range of the bombs used during World War II. The nature of the effects would be the same as a weapon delivered by an inter-continental missile, but the area and severity of the effects would be significantly more limited.
There is no way of knowing how much warning time there would be before an attack by a terrorist using a nuclear or radiological weapon. A surprise attack remains a possibility.
The danger of a massive strategic nuclear attack on the United States involving many weapons receded with the end of the Cold War. However, some terrorists have been supported by nations that have nuclear weapons programs.
If there were threat of an attack from a hostile nation, people living near potential targets could be advised to evacuate or they could decide on their own to evacuate to an area not considered a likely target. Protection from radioactive fallout would require taking shelter in an underground area, or in the middle of a large building.
In general, potential targets include:
Taking shelter during a nuclear attack is absolutely necessary. There are two kinds of shelters—blast and fallout.
Blast shelters offer some protection against blast pressure, initial radiation, heat and fire, but even a blast shelter could not withstand a direct hit from a nuclear detonation.
Fallout shelters do not need to be specially constructed for that purpose. They can be any protected space, provided that the walls and roof are thick and dense enough to absorb the radiation given off by fallout particles. The three protective factors of a fallout shelter are shielding, distance, and time.
Remember that any protection, however temporary, is better than none at all, and the more shielding, distance and time you can take advantage of, the better.
Electromagnetic pulse
In addition to other effects, a nuclear weapon detonated in or above the earth’s atmosphere can create an electromagnetic pulse (EMP), a high-density electrical field. EMP acts like a stroke of lightning but is stronger, faster and briefer. EMP can seriously damage electronic devices connected to power sources or antennas. This include communication systems, computers, electrical appliances, and automobile or aircraft ignition systems. The damage could range from a minor interruption to actual burnout of components. Most electronic equipment within 1,000 miles of a high-altitude nuclear detonation could be affected. Battery powered radios with short antennas generally would not be affected.
Although EMP is unlikely to harm most people, it could harm those with pacemakers or other implanted electronic devices.
What to do before a nuclear or radiological attack
What to do during a nuclear or radiological attack
What to do after a nuclear or radiological attack
In a public or home shelter:
Returning to your home
For more information relevant to terrorism consult the following chapters:
Homeland Security Advisory System
The Homeland Security Advisory System was designed to provide a comprehensive means to disseminate information regarding the risk of terrorist acts to federal, state, and local authorities and to the American people. This system provides warnings in the form of a set of graduated “Threat Conditions” that increase as the risk of the threat increases. At each threat condition, federal departments and agencies would implement a corresponding set of “Protective Measures” to further reduce vulnerability or increase response capability during a period of heightened alert.
Although the Homeland Security Advisory System is binding on the executive branch, it is voluntary to other levels of government and the private sector. There are five threat conditions, each identified by a description and corresponding color.
The greater the risk of a terrorist attack, the higher the threat condition. Risk includes both the probability of an attack occurring and its potential gravity.
Threat conditions are assigned by the Attorney General in consultation with the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security. Threat conditions may be assigned for the entire nation, or they may be set for a particular geographic area or industrial sector. Assigned threat conditions will be reviewed at regular intervals to determine whether adjustments are warranted.
Threat Conditions and Associated Protective Measures
There is always a risk of a terrorist threat. Each threat condition assigns a level of alert appropriate to the increasing risk of terrorist attacks. Beneath each threat condition are some suggested protective measures that the government and the public can take, recognizing that the heads of federal departments and agencies are responsible for developing and implementing appropriate agency-specific Protective Measures:
Low Condition (Green). This condition is declared when there is a low risk of terrorist attacks. Federal departments and agencies will consider the following protective measures.
Members of the public can:
Guarded Condition (Blue). This condition is declared when there is a general risk of terrorist attacks. In addition to the measures taken in the previous threat condition, federal departments and agencies will consider the following protective measures:
Members of the public, in addition to the actions taken for the previous threat condition, can:
Elevated Condition (Yellow). An Elevated Condition is declared when there is a significant risk of terrorist attacks. In addition to the measures taken in the previous threat conditions, federal departments and agencies will consider the following protective measures:
Members of the public, in addition to the actions taken for the previous threat condition, can:
High Condition (Orange). A High Condition is declared when there is a high risk of terrorist attacks. In addition to the measures taken in the previous threat conditions, federal departments and agencies will consider the following protective measures:
Members of the public, in addition to the actions taken for the previous threat conditions, can:
Severe Condition (Red). A Severe Condition reflects a severe risk of terrorist attacks. Under most circumstances, the protective measures for a Severe Condition are not intended to be sustained for substantial periods of time. In addition to the protective measures in the previous threat conditions, federal departments and agencies also will consider the following general measures:
Members of the public, in addition to the actions taken for the previous threat conditions, can:
Do some research on your own using Google.
Note that dozens of people died of Iodine poisoning in Russia after the recent false alarm nuclear reactor incident.
Note that at least one family died in Israel by duct-taping and plastic sheeting their home in a test for prevention in a chemical attack. The house was so air-tight that they suffocated from lack of oxygen.
You had me until #7: Euthanize pets....
Uh...yes I live in Wisconsin and frankly, our beloved governor is such a lib I think he believes "there's no terrorist threat." If you catch my drift. But seriously, that may be a good place to call. Thanks.
I guess trolls don't know the difference!
I'll play along. You basically can't prepare for a biological attack except to flee the area. If you doubt the effects of such an attack, remember that an entire Soviet town was killed by one small laboratory accident that was then blamed on food poisoning ("bad meat" was the cover).
Just kiss your ass goodbye.
I do get your question. I also want to say I hope you don't get too obsessed with the question. See, my thought is this....most of the damage that can be inflicted on our country is not going to be from a bomb, or a plane,,,but will be from a psychological view point, if you get my drift. The terrorists know our media, how our country works and they know how a lot of our financial systems work. This is what (IMHO) they target. What they really will never figure out is the will and resolve and incredible tenacity and bravery of the American people, of the average American citizen. We have lived on faith for so long, it's really almost second nature and the evil scum that threaten us don't seem to get it. Don't sweat the "dirty" bomb thing too much,,,just keep it in your sights and try to present your questions to the relevant agencies. Any one of us could be an expert on the subject if we wanted to take the time to digest all the info available. I just hope it's not something keeping you up at night, you know? I think if you live in fear, the terrorists have already won....don't give them that....
I don't see any reason why any common biowarfare agent couldn't be dispersed from a suitably modified cropduster aircraft. To my knowledge, bioagents are powders or liquids which, to be delivered, need to be finely dispersed in the air so that the intended victims inhale them.
I have no clue about the area that a cropduster could cover in a flight. That would depend on the wind, the aircraft tank size, the nozzle spreading efficiency, the required concentration of agent, the altitude at which it flew...
Yes. Weather plas a strong role in the effectiveness of chemical and biological attacks. As the most simple example, high winds will disperse & dilute the agent to be below the necessary concentration relatively quickly.
Precautions against chemical and biological terrorist attack are the much-mocked-and-derided duct tape and plastic sheeting. No, really. Sealing a space off from the outside and sheltering there is the safest thing to do. Be sure to have plenty of nonperishable food, and at least one gallon of fresh water in sealed container per person per day. Try to have at least three days' supply, and a week is ideal. Your chemical or biological shelter should be at the highest part of the house, because chem and bio agents are heavier than air and will sink. (Note that weather and radiological shelters need to be underground, in contrast.)
In the case that one is caught outside in an attack, the first thing to do is to not panic. Panicking only sets the body's metabolism in high gear, drawing in more from the outside and forcing a higher exposure. Go uphill, upstream, and upwind from the contaminated area. If in a car, roll up all windows and turn off the vents and fan. Wash with soap and plenty of water; a bleach solution can be used as a neutralizing rinse. Use your NOAA Weather Radio to get alerts; the local broadcast media outlets will also have information.
Most of your concerns are addressed in the book Are You Ready?, available as a PDF for free download, or they'll mail it to you for free.
If you want information concerning how citizens can prepare for a CBERN weapon, you can start by visiting the FEMA CERT site or the Fire Institute web pages.
"Gas masks" are for limited use and need to be fitted to each person to be effective. A mask in itself may be inadequate if you don't have a full biological suit with scba. It depends on the agent. Such suits are very expensive and they are made only for adults. In general, the best option is to learn to shelter in place and wait it out for the agent to be dispersed.
Stop worrying about it and take the family out for ice cream and a good movie.
Gee, did you make that up? And..I take offense to the comment about the exercise bike that I don't use. I use it all the time!
I guess I'm asking in general terms. I will admit my naivety when it comes to chemicals and the like.
Bingo!
Then I guess I'm safe because that's exactly what I did and intend on doing. I love your attitude!!!
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