Flashback: Homeland Security Secretary urges Americans to watch out for bird deaths as a sign of ‘chemical attack’
Thu, 20 Feb 2003 04:51 CST, Michael Kilian, Chicago Tribune
Washington – Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge on Wednesday launched a national Ready Campaign to prepare Americans for terrorist attacks, urging them to take such measures as storing 3 or more gallons of water for each family member and watching for dead birds as a sign of chemical attack.
A week after Ridge and his department came under fire for suggesting that duct tape and plastic sheeting would be a defense against possible attacks, the homeland security secretary traveled to Cincinnati to tout the new campaign he said was designed primarily to prevent fear and panic.
“Fear is the terrorists’ most effective weapon,” Ridge said. “The threat of terrorism forces us to make a choice. We can be afraid or we can be ready. And today America’s families declare we will not be afraid and we will be ready.”
The campaign’s list of recommendations elaborated on some of the precautionary steps Ridge urged last week after the Bush administration raised the terrorist threat level from yellow, for “elevated risk,” to orange, for “high risk.” Ridge did not say when he expected the threat level to be reduced to yellow, though he had indicated over the weekend that it might be soon.
Speaking Wednesday, Ridge said, “Stash away the duct tape,” prompting laughter from the audience. “Don’t use it, stash it away, and that premeasured plastic sheeting for future–and I emphasize future–use.”
Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) criticized Ridge’s suggestions last week, charging that the homeland security effort was seriously underfunded and that duct tape was no substitute for federal money.
A spokesman for Daschle said he had no immediate response to Wednesday’s presentation. A spokeswoman for Pelosi said that she had no additional comment but that the sentiments she expressed about underfunding last week still stood.
Rob Perks, spokesman for the environmentalist Natural Resources Defense Council, said that although the readiness campaign was welcome, the administration had failed to take steps to protect Americans from an attack on highly vulnerable chemical plants.
“While we applaud any effort to better inform the public about these dangers and about ways to cope in an attack,” Perks said, “we cannot help but observe that the Bush administration has failed to take meaningful steps to reduce the likelihood that Americans will need to run or shield themselves from a toxic release caused by an attack on a chemical plant.”
Announcing the readiness drive before the Cincinnati Chapter of the American Red Cross, Ridge said the campaign will include newspaper, television and radio advertisements informing Americans of the effort and steps they can take to protect themselves.
People should call 1-800-BE-READY and consult a new Web site–www.ready.gov–for the full package of information and recommendations, he said.
Public uneasy
The secretary acknowledged that raising the national terrorist threat level increased uncertainty and unease among the public. But he said making the recommended preparations should alleviate much of that.
“The national threat warning is really for the security personnel and the law-enforcement personnel in this country,” Ridge said. “When the threat level is raised, so is our level of readiness. You can count on it. That’s what the professionals are trained to do, and that’s what they are doing.”
While emphasizing that duct tape and plastic sheeting should be stored and not used until needed, Ridge strongly defended the inclusion of those items in an emergency supply kit, which he said every family should have as part of its preparation for possible attack.
“Experts tell us that a safe room inside your house or inside your apartment can help protect you from airborne contaminants for several hours, and that could be just enough time for that chemical agent to be blown away.”
“We would not recommend these measures if they did not make a difference,” he added.
Other recommendations include:
- Creating a family plan. Family members should agree on a way to communicate with each other in the event of a terrorist attack. This might involve calling a third party in another city or state that may not be involved in a terrorist action.
- Deciding whether to evacuate. People should prepare to stay in their area or to leave. If staying, family members and pets should go inside. Doors should be locked and windows, air vents and fireplace dampers should be closed. Fans, air-conditioning units and forced-air heating systems should be turned off. Windows and doors in one interior room should be sealed with plastic sheeting and duct tape.
In preparation for a possible emergency departure, people should keep their automobile gas tanks at least half-full, map out possible evacuation routes beforehand and, when departing, take along an emergency supply kit.
What to pack
According to Ridge, this kit should contain a gallon of water per day per person to last at least three days, as well as three days of food that can be stored without refrigeration and needs no cooking.
Cell phones, scissors, tweezers and petroleum jelly were recommended for such kits. Other recommendations include first-aid items such as two pairs of sterile gloves, sterile dressings, disinfectants, antibiotic ointment, burn ointment, adhesive bandages, eye-wash solution, a thermometer and prescription medications or medical equipment–such as blood pressure monitors–family members take or use.
Flashlights and battery-powered radios with extra batteries were recommended, along with garbage bags, toilet paper, area maps, a whistle, towelettes and a sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person. Cash, a non-electric can opener, a utility knife, a fire extinguisher, pliers, a compass, matches, signal flares, and paper and pencil were also among recommended items.
In the event of a biological attack, the department said, people should already know the signs and symptoms of likely diseases and where they can get emergency treatment.
Watery eyes, twitching, choking, trouble breathing and loss of coordination were listed as symptoms of a chemical attack, and sick or dead birds, fish or small animals were cited as warning signs of one. The department recommended evacuating a chemical attack area immediately and washing exposed areas of skin with water.
In a nuclear blast or radiation attack involving a “dirty bomb,” a thick shield will reduce the amount of radiation absorbed, the department said.
Buildings attacked with explosives should be evacuated immediately, without using elevators, according to the recommendations.
“Remember, even if your community, your home, your neighborhood is not directly affected by an attack, your life or your daily routine may be disrupted,” said Ridge. “You may need to shelter at home for a couple of days. Maybe the roads and stores would be closed, the electricity turned off, your water supply interrupted. We just want you to be prepared for that eventuality.”
Government formalizes attack advice
The Department of Homeland Security suggests taking these steps, among others, to be prepared in the event of a terrorist attack:
- Decide how family members would reach one another in an emergency. Consider naming an out-of-town contact to relay messages.
- In case evacuation is necessary, plan how to assemble the family and where to go. Keep the car’s gas tank at least half full at all times.
- If it is necessary to stay, pick an interior room with few openings to use as a shelter. Keep pre-cut plastic and duct tape to seal openings, and turn off ventilation.
- Find out how children’s schools would reach families in an emergency.
- Keep an emergency kit with such supplies as food and water for at least three days, warm clothes, a battery-powered radio and face masks or dense cotton material to cover the nose and mouth. The kit should be portable in case of evacuation.
The department also released advice for protecting oneself during biological, chemical and radiological contamination threats, as well as nuclear blasts and other types of explosions.
For the complete text of Homeland Security’s recommendations, go to www.ready.gov
Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security
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