What communication and evacuation systems are currently in place in the event of biological or chemical warfare?
Since September 11th there has been a higher level of training, and better access to equipment for detection, monitoring and identification of substances. The state and local governments have been coordinating their efforts with the federal government and with media outlets under the Emergency Broadcast Systems to be able to provide timely, accurate and effective information on what's taken place, what steps are being implemented to help the community and what steps the individual can take to protect themselves and their family members.
Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge recently announced a "Ready Campaign" to advise families on how they can protect themselves against terrorism. How can people prepare for a potential event?
I think what we hope to see is that US citizens take a few moments and review good emergency planning to protect their families. It's basically just good emergency preparedness that anyone would take to prepare themselves to protect their family in the case of an emergency, whether it's a blizzard, flood, hurricane or any other type of natural disaster. For instance, you're a single mother and you're at work and your child's at school. Do you have a plan for how you're going to get your child and how you're going to coordinate that effort, in the case of a terrorist attack?
There are resources available from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Department of Homeland Security Web sitesthat walk people through the very basic steps on how to achieve that level of readiness for your family. You can find this information at: http://www.fema.gov/areyouready/
