Terrorism Preparing for the Unexpected www.redcross.org A1366 Oct. 2001 = Page 1 = An American Red Cross mobile service center stationed at the Pentagon Sept. 18 shows one small part of the ongoing response you can expect from the Red Cross in the advent of any disaster. evastating acts, such as the terrorist D attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, have left many concerned about the possibility of future incidents in the United States and their potential impact. They have raised uncertainty about what might happen next, increasing stress levels. Nevertheless, there are things you can do to prepare for the unexpected and reduce the stress that you may feel now and later should another emergency arise. Taking preparatory action can reassure you and your children that you can exert a measure of control even in the face of such events. © 2001 by the American National Red Cross. All rights reserved. = Page 2 = e-mail. Many people flood the telephone lines when emergencies happen but e-mail can sometimes get through when calls don’t. 2. E STABLISH A MEETING PLACE . Having a predetermined meeting place away from your home will save time and minimize confusion should your home be affected or the area evacuated. You may even want to Children need to know their family members’ phone make arrangements to stay with a family numbers and e-mail addresses. The information should be carried with them to school and easy for them to find at member or friend in case of an emergency. home. Be sure to include any pets in these plans, since pets are not permitted in shelters and What You Can Do some hotels will not accept them. to Prepare Finding out what can happen is the first 3. A SSEMBLE A DISASTER SUPPLIES KIT . step. Once you have determined the events If you need to evacuate your home or are possible and their potential in your commu- asked to “shelter in place,” having some nity, it is important that you discuss them essential supplies on hand will make you with your family or household. Develop a and your family more comfortable— disaster plan together. Prepare a disaster supplies kit in an easy- to-carry container such as a duffel bag or 1. C REATE AN EMERGENCY small plastic trash can. COMMUNICATIONS PLAN . Include “special needs” items for any Choose an out-of-town contact your family household member (infant formula or or household will call or e-mail to check on items for people with disabilities or older each other should a disaster occur. Your people), first aid supplies (including selected contact should live far enough away prescription medications), a change of that they would be unlikely to be directly clothing for each person, a sleeping bag or affected by the same event, and they should bedroll for each, a battery powered radio know they are the chosen contact. Make or television and extra batteries, food, sure every household member has that con- bottled water and tools. tact’s, and each other’s, e-mail addresses and It is also a good idea to include some cash telephone numbers (home, work, pager and and copies of important family documents cell). Leave these contact numbers at your (birth certificates, passports and licenses) children’s schools, if you have children, and in your kit. at your workplace. Your family should know that if telephones are not working, they need Copies of essential documents—like powers to be patient and try again later or try of attorney, birth and marriage certificates, = Page 3 = insurance policies, life insurance beneficiary designations and a copy of your will— should also be kept in a safe location outside your home. A safe deposit box or the home of a friend or family member who lives out of town is a good choice. For more complete instructions, ask your local Red Cross chapter for the brochure titled Your Family Disaster Supplies Kit (stock number A4463). © 2001 Frank Ishman On Sept. 14 in New York City, a Red Cross worker comforts a woman shaken by the World Trade Center attack. 4. C HECK ON THE SCHOOL EMERGENCY PLAN OF ANY SCHOOL AGE CHILDREN YOU - If Disaster Strikes MAY HAVE . You need to know if they will keep children Remain calm and be patient. at school until a parent or designated adult Follow the advice of local emergency can pick them up or send them home on officials. their own. Be sure that the school has Listen to your radio or television for news updated information about how to reach and instructions. parents and responsible caregivers to arrange If the disaster occurs near you, check for for pickup. And, ask what type of authoriza- injuries. Give first aid and get help for tion the school may require to release a child seriously injured people. to someone you designate, if you are not If the disaster occurs near your home able to picup your child. During times of while you are there, check for damage emergency the school telephones may be using a flashlight. Do not light matches overwhelmed with calls. or candles or turn on electrical switches. Check for fires, fire hazards and other For more information on putting together a household hazards. Sniff for gas leaks, disaster plan, request a copy of the brochure starting at the water heater. If you smell titled Your Family Disaster Plan (A4466) gas or suspect a leak, turn off the main gas from your local American Red Cross chap- valve, open windows, and get everyone ter. You may also want to request a copy of outside quickly. Before Disaster Strikes... How to Make Sure Shut off any other damaged utilities. You’re Financially Prepared (A5075) for spe- Confine or secure your pets. cific information on what you can do now to Call your family contact—do not use the protect your assets. These documents are telephone again unless it is a life- also available at www.redcross.org . threatening emergency. Check on your neighbors, especially those who are elderly or disabled. = Page 4 = A W ORD ON W HAT C OULD H APPEN Take your disaster supplies kit. Take your pets with you; do not leave As we learned from the events of September them behind. Because pets are not 11, 2001, the following things can happen permitted in public shelters, follow your after a terrorist attack: plan to go to a relative or friend’s home, There can be significant numbers of casual- or find a “pet-friendly” hotel. ties and/or damage to buildings and the Lock your home. infrastructure. So employers need up-to- Use travel routes specified by local authori- date information about any medical needs ties—don’t use shortcuts because certain you may have and on how to contact your areas may be impassable or dangerous. designated beneficiaries. Stay away from downed power lines. Heavy law enforcement involvement at Listen to local authorities. They will provide local, state and federal levels follows a you with the most accurate information spe- terrorist attack due to the event’s criminal cific to an event in your area. Staying tuned nature. to local radio and television, and following Health and mental health resources in the their instructions is your safest choice. affected communities can be strained to their limits, maybe even overwhelmed. If you’re sure you have time: Extensive media coverage, strong public Call your family contact to tell them where fear and international implications and you are going and when you expect to consequences can continue for a prolonged arrive. period. Shut off water and electricity before leav- Workplaces and schools may be closed, ing, if instructed to do so. Leave natural and there may be restrictions on domestic gas service ON unless local officials advise and international travel. you otherwise. You may need gas for heat- You and your family or household may ing and cooking, and only a professional have to evacuate an area, avoiding roads can restore gas service in your home once blocked for your safety. it’s been turned off. In a disaster situation Clean-up may take many months. it could take weeks for a professional to respond. E VACUATION If local authorities ask you to leave your home, they have a good reason to make this request, and you should heed the advice immediately. Listen to your radio or TV, follow the instructions of local emergency officials and keep these simple tips in mind— Wear long-sleeved shirts, long pants and sturdy shoes so you can be protected as much as possible. = Page 5 = upsetting, especially to children. We do not recommend that children watch television news reports about such events, especially if the news reports show images over and over again about the same incident. Young children do not realize that it is repeated video footage, and think the event is happen- ing again and again. Adults may also need to give themselves a break from watching disturbing footage. However, listening to local radio and television reports will pro- vide you with the most accurate information A disaster supply kit, with items like those shown and a radio and extra batteries, is an essential resource in times from responsible governmental authorities of emergency. on what’s happening and what actions you will need to take. So you may want to make S HELTER IN PLACE some arrangements to take turns listening to If you are advised by local officials to “shelter the news with other adult members of your in place,” what they mean is for you to remain household. inside your home or office and protect your- self there. Close and lock all windows and Another useful preparation includes learning exterior doors. Turn off all fans, heating and some basic first aid. To enroll in a first aid air conditioning systems. Close the fireplace and CPR course, contact your local damper. Get your disaster supplies kit, and American Red Cross chapter. In an emer- make sure the radio is working. Go to an gency situation, you need to tend to your interior room without windows that’s above own well-being first and then consider first ground level. In the case of a chemical threat, aid for others immediately around you, an above-ground location is preferable because including possibly assisting injured people some chemicals are heavier than air, and may to evacuate a building if necessary. seep into basements even if the windows are closed. Using duct tape, seal all cracks around People who may have come into contact the door and any vents into the room. Keep with a biological or chemical agent may need listening to your radio or television until you to go through a decontamination procedure are told all is safe or you are told to evacuate. and receive medical attention. Listen to the Local officials may call for evacuation in spe- advice of local officials on the radio or tele- cific areas at greatest risk in your community. vision to determine what steps you will need to take to protect yourself and your family. A DDITIONAL P OSITIVE S TEPS Y OU C AN T AKE As emergency services will likely be Raw, unedited footage of terrorism events and overwhelmed, only call 9-1-1 about life- people’s reaction to those events can be very threatening emergencies. = Page 6 = Cover the burn with dry, clean dressings First Aid Primer or cloth. If you encounter someone who is injured, apply the emergency action steps: Check- C ARE FOR NJURIES TO I M USCLES , B ONES Call-Care. Check the scene to make sure AND OINTS J it is safe for you to approach. Then check Rest the injured part. the victim for unconsciousness and life- Apply ice or a cold pack to control threatening conditions. Someone who has swelling and reduce pain. a life-threatening condition, such as not Avoid any movement or activity that breathing or severe bleeding, requires imme- causes pain. diate care by trained responders and may If you must move the victim because the scene is becoming unsafe, try to immobilize require treatment by medical professionals. the injured part to keep it from moving. Call out for help. There are some steps that you can take, however, to care for someone B A E WARE OF B IOLOGICAL /R ADIOLOGICAL who is hurt, but whose injuries are not life E XPOSURE threatening. Listen to local radio and television reports for the most accurate information from C ONTROL B LEEDING responsible governmental and medical Cover the wound with a dressing, and authorities on what’s happening and what press firmly against the wound (direct actions you will need to take. pressure). The Web sites referenced at the end of this Elevate the injured area above the level brochure can give you more information of the heart if you do not suspect that the on how to protect yourself from exposure victim has a broken bone. to biological or radiological hazards. Cover the dressing with a roller bandage. If the bleeding does not stop: R EDUCE A NY C ARE R ISKS – Apply additional dressings and bandages. The risk of getting a disease while giving – Use a pressure point to squeeze the first aid is extremely rare. However, to artery against the bone. reduce the risk even further: Provide care for shock. Avoid direct contact with blood and other body fluids. Use protective equipment, such as dispos- C ARE FOR S HOCK able gloves and breathing barriers. Keep the victim from getting chilled or Whenever possible, thoroughly wash your overheated. hands with soap and water immediately Elevate the legs about 12 inches (if broken after giving care. bones are not suspected). Do not give food or drink to the victim. It is important to be prepared for an emer- gency and to know how to give emergency T END B URNS care. Stop the burning by cooling the burn with large amounts of water. = Page 7 = For information on what a business can do to protect its employees and customers as well as develop business continuity plans, see www.redcross.org/services/disaster/beprepared or request a copy of the Emergency Management Guide for Business and Industry and/or Preparing Your Business for the Unthinkable from your local American Red Cross chapter. For more information about the specific effects of chemical or biological agents, the following Web sites may be helpful: Supplies for rescue workers are unpacked at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Pennsylvania crash site on Sept. 13. The Red Cross can provide necessities very quickly to almost any location for www.bt.cdc.gov as long as they are needed. U.S. Department of Energy More Information www.energy.gov All of these recommendations make good U.S. Department of Health sense, regardless of the potential problem. and Human Services For more information on how to get ready www.hhs.gov for disaster and be safe when disaster strikes, or to register for a first aid and CPR course, Federal Emergency Management Agency please contact your local American Red www.rris.fema.gov Cross chapter. You can find it in your telephone directory under “American Red Environmental Protection Agency Cross” or through our home page at www.epa.gov/swercepp www.redcross.org under “your local chapter.” Johns Hopkins University www.hopkins-biodefense.org For information about your community’s specific plans for response to disasters and other emergencies, contact your local office of emergency management. = Page 8 =