How to Survive the Latest Terror Threat

August 10, 2006 I spent the day writing, going out to coffee with a friend, and snuggling with the pets and my husband. It was a warm sun filled day….very quiet here in Hermiston. How to survive the latest terror threat was intermittently on my mind from early morning when the first news came on that a terror cell in London had been arrested.

I made coffee and curled up in the chair with Aldonza/Dulcinea (Aldonza when she is bad, Dulcinea when she is sweet). I watched wide eyed, breathless reporters and grim faced officials in both Britain and the United States discuss "the plot", "the liquid explosive", and the "takedown" until I had finished my second cup of coffee. Then I woke my husband to share the news. That's one way to survive the latest terror plot. To put that sequence in perspective think of it like this:

• Stick to your personal routine as closely as you can. I have to have my morning coffee or I am just not functional, so it makes sense that I make that time as near the usual morning routine as possible. I take my coffee with a long dose of thinking, a bit of news, some quiet talk to the cat and finish it with waking my husband. It's how I prepare for the day.

• Listen to all the information and follow any instructions given by the authorities. I listened to Fox and CNN and other news channels so I had a broad cross section of opinions and information. There were no specific instructions for my area which is rural, remote and isolated. No danger here as long as I do not intend to fly…..which I do not intend to do at this juncture. So the next thing was the elevated alert level. Ok, I am pretty sensitive to watching anything suspicious and I am not going to be next to any airports, train stations or even big cities for a while so I am ok on that score.

• Do not change your plans. I called a friend and we went out to coffee to discuss her recent trip to Italy and her daughter's planned trip to Washington D.C. We discussed Rome and Tuscany and the heat in Italy. We talked about the statue of David and the food in Vienna. We laughed and ate rich desserts and drank our coffee and felt very safe and far away from any threat. I know that is because some mother's son is giving his life for me and for my friend in the War on Terror and I am so grateful that as I write this I get a cold chill and then a hot flash (which may be a result of my age but I will attribute it to emotion).

• Be certain your emergency kit is preassembled and easy to get to. Mine is assembled in a plastic garbage can with wheels that sits by the front door and doubles as a credenza when I come in with groceries or need to put my purse on something as I am coming in or out. I check it as I come back from my coffee date.

• Keep updated on the state of the emergency. The news was on in our house most of the day. Nothing much changed but if it had changed we would have known and been prepared for any required action.

Since this terror threat did not directly affect me or any of my family it was relatively easy to maintain my usual activities. My concern did not reach the level of fear and certainly not terror. That is the way to survive the next terror threat if it is somewhat removed from you.

The way to survive terror threats that are close to where you live is essentially the same, except that you are then part of the terror prevention team because your eyes and ears help to keep surveillance on all the activity of your neighborhood. If you have reason to believe there will be a catastrophic event, you must abandon your daily routine and get away, of course, but do so with dignity and in concert with the instructions of the authorities in your area.