Security precautions

This is the red cross site for emergency preparation:

http://www.redcross.org/services/disaster/keepsafe/unexpected.html

More info. emailed to us:

Subj: Security precautions
Date: 10/12/01 4:03:05 PM EasternDaylight Time
From: dlazaro3@home.com (Danny R. Lazaro)
To: Undisclosed-Recipient:;;

SECURITY PRECAUTIONS

As an Emergency Manager with the U.S. Government, I have privilegedinformation to the current events and those events that may happen in thenear future. At this time, I want to take this opportunity to give you somegeneral advice for survival if a terrorist act hits very close to home thatcould potentially incapacitate you. Here's some suggestions to be prepared:

- Treat this situation as if it were a major earthquake.

- If terrorism strikes in your state or even region, cellular phone systemswill go out due to the overloading of the system and the resulted crash ofthe network. Also your regular phone's may be disrupted and the state ofemergency may result in 1/3 of your region's lines being turned off forperiods of time so that the system doesn't overload. This is similar torotating blackouts, only on the phone lines. Thus, develop a plan for youand your family members so that you can either meet or be assured they willknow how to regain contact with you.

Also consider that if family members work or frequently travel to anothercity, roads may be blocked or unsafe to travel. Thus, arrange for thosemembers away from the general home area to divert to a close friend's housein the city they frequent. Have them stay there until the "all clear" isgiven. You (and they) will be more assured of their safety. Have backupfriends, too. Consider you will not be able to communicate with them for atleast four to 24 hours - again, AT LEAST.

- Ensure that you frequently refuel your vehicles and that they are alwaysfull with gasoline. Those of you who frequently let your car go below 1/2 tank, that may not get you home if stuck inlocal traffic. The last thing youwant is to run out of gas. Remember, gas stations need electricity to runand in a terrorist situation, they may be ordered to shut down - even ifthere is electricity available.

- ALWAYS carry cash and lower dollar bills. In a situation withcommunications failure, no store can process credit card/ATM transactionsbecause these require phone lines. If you frequently forget to keep cash onyou, have $40 in loose bills stored in a secret spot in your car that youuse the most. This way, if you get caught on the road without cash, you havethat secret stash.

- Keep enough water on hand for ONE WEEK. Freshly bottled water. This isbecause our municipal water systems ARE at risk. One week will be sufficientfor trucked water to make it in. The traditional three days is too short.

- Have your pantry's STOCKED with food for one week, too. This should befood that is very simple to make. You should also have enough packaged foodfor afew days that require no cooking, should the electric systems be takenout.

- It is a good idea to have a portable emergency kit in a large duffle bagcontaining the above items, should you (God forbid) ever need to beevacuated. This way, you can grab the (ONE) bag and go. Essential itemsshould include medicines (for one week's supply), toilet paper, toothbrushesand paste, hand sanitizer, water/food, flashlights, portable radios withplenty of batteries, pen and paper, whistle, rope, duct tape, blankets,general toiletries, and anything else you feel to sustain you for ONE WEEK.Believe it or not, this can all fit into one large duffle bag for a regularsized family. Your life is the value, not material possessions.

- Pets. Make sure you have the appropriate carriers for your pets and planfor extra water and food for them. It is a good idea to buy a small bag offood for them and store it with that emergency duffle bag. Also storeleashes/collars, and extra water. Do NOT leave pets unattended. In emergencysituations, they know something is wrong and get scared easily and may tryto even run away. Be mindful of this.

- In extreme cases, the Red Cross and local overnments utilize Amateur Radioas a way to pass welfare traffic. Today's terrorist acts in NYC left AmateurRadio as the ONLY means of communications in or out of the city. The cities9-1-1dispatch center was on the 12th floor of one of the towers. That wentdown and so did their 9-1-1 system for the whole city. If you evacuate, itis best to go to the Red Cross and have HAM radio pass welfare traffic toyour loved onesacross the country.

- If you are home when a situation occurs, STAY THERE. DO NOT go out anddrive around or wander. Subsequent events can immobilize you away from homeand create undue worrying from your family. Doing this also hampersemergency efforts and obstructs life saving efforts.

- STAY OFF THE PHONE. Calling everyone in the world ties up the phone systemand obstructs emergency services. It is best to CALL ONE party out of stateandhave them contact everyone else to let them know you are okay.

- The notion of this can't happen here was proved wrong. It can and willhappen anywhere. Report suspicious circumstances to law enforcementimmediately. Let them determine the severity of the situation. If governmentsays get out or to watch out for certain places, don't take it lightly. THISIS REAL. Consider that nothing happened to the west coast today and thereare two very largepopulation centers in California. If you think there is noterrorists in California: WRONG. I can't say anything further on thiswithout compromising confidentiality, but you get the point.

- DON'T PANIC. Just be mindful of the circumstances. Just be prepared if itever hits close to your home. Chances are it won't, but possibilities areendless. Pull together and defend our country and support government. Thisis a time where we need to unify as a nation more than ever. Icertainly hopethe above tips have made you aware of how to begin to take care of yourselfand prepare before an emergency. The above can be applied to any disaster(floods, quakes, etc)... It is also suggested that you research more forother items recommended to stock up on not mentioned here (like clothing).