Citizen, Be Prepared!
Admiral James Loy, Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security, held an "Ask the White House" chat today. He concluded the chat by reminding us that homeland security is more than just a government department -- it's a state of mind:
[P]lease recognize that this is an all-hands or all-citizens evolution. That means each of us can visit the www.ready.gov web site and think about preparedness at the family and individual level , take on the suggestions that are represented there and in so doing make your personal contribution to securing our country.
Here at WWDT, we're nothing if not prepared. We've printed out their helpful visual guides for surviving
and posted them around the house and the neighborhood.
However, one cannot be prepared for everything. One also has to learn to improvise. Protecting oneself from contaminated air, for example:
Many potential terrorist attacks could send tiny microscopic "junk" into the air. For example, an explosion may release very fine debris that can cause lung damage. A biological attack may release germs that can make you sick if inhaled or absorbed through open cuts. Many of these agents can only hurt you if they get into your body, so think about creating a barrier between yourself and any contamination.
Face masks or dense-weave cotton material, that snugly covers your nose and mouth and is specifically fit for each member of the family. Do whatever you can to make the best fit possible for children.
Be prepared to improvise with what you have on hand to protect your nose, mouth, eyes and cuts in your skin. Anything that fits snugly over your nose and mouth, including any dense-weave cotton material, can help filter contaminants in an emergency. It is very important that most of the air you breathe comes through the mask or cloth, not around it. Do whatever you can to make the best fit possible for children ...
There are circumstances when staying put and creating a barrier between yourself and potentially contaminated air outside, a process known as "shelter-in-place," is a matter of survival. You can use these things to tape up windows, doors and air vents if you need to seal off a room from outside contamination. Consider precutting and labeling these materials. Anything you can do in advance will save time when it counts.
Study the site, print out the visual guides, and make your own contribution to securing our country. I, for one, sleep more soundly at night, confident in my knowledge of improvising barriers and creating "shelters-in-place."
12:20:42 AM 
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