| Terrorism
Terrorism
is the use of force or violence against persons or property
in violation of the criminal laws of a nation for the
purpose of intimidation, coercion, or ransom. Such acts
are generally designed to create fear among the public,
convince citizens that their government is powerless
to prevent terrorism, and get immediate publicity for
the terrorist's causes. To assist you with your terrorism
emergency preparedness planning, review the following
information and visit our Disaster and Emergency Preparedness
page for family, business and pets/animal preparedness
guidelines.
Acts
of terrorism include threats of terrorism; assassinations;
kidnappings; hijackings; bomb scares and bombings; cyber
attacks; and the use of biological agents, nuclear weapons
and radiological dispersion devices, incendiary devices,
chemical weapons or explosive devices.
Without
succumbing to the intended fear of such acts, it is
prudent to:
- Know
your routines. You know what mail you expect every
month, what the neighbors look like, what cars they
drive, when deliveries are made in your neighborhood
or office. When the routine is changed, be a little
suspicious, not paranoid, but be attentive and record
any anomalies so you can relay them to law enforcement
if need be.
- Be
aware of your surroundings. Move
or leave if you feel uncomfortable or if something
doesn't "feel right."
- Take
precautions when traveling. Do not accept packages
from strangers. Do not leave luggage unattended. Be
aware of and promptly report unusual behavior, suspicious
or unattended packages, and strange devices to the
police or security personnel.
- Learn
where emergency exits are located in buildings you
frequent. Plan how to escape in the event of an emergency.
- Be
prepared to do without services you normally depend
on - electricity, telephone, natural gas, gasoline,
cash registers, ATMs and Internet transactions.
- Assemble
a 72 hour survival kit that is available in your home,
office and car.
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