Surviving a Terrorist Attack: The Benefits of a Safe Room

The threat of terrorist attacks in our homeland is unfortunately very real, and they will stop at nothing to snuff out all forms of life in the most inhumane way that they can think of. Due to this fact, other countries have begun taking steps towards fending off terrorist attacks by preparing safe-rooms, learning how to use gas-masks, and receiving radiation-rejecting medications which are relatively unknown here. In fact most European countries have provided their personnel with training and supplies to help them survive many types of terrorist attacks.

Of course terrorists have followed the books of guerrilla warfare and terrorism written by Mao Tse Tung and Ho Chi Min, giving them the full knowledge of how to publicly demonstrate their capacity for slaughtering innocent people in an effort to create fear among our nation and others. They will stop at nothing to prove that they can do whatever they want, when they want so that they can capitalize on our freedom by disrupting our way of life in the most catastrophic and bloodiest effort possible.

As of today, the government is aware that there are several suit-case nuclear bombs located inside the United States, but their exact location is unknown. What is known is that these bombs have a relatively small nuclear device in them with the capability of inflicting a multitude of deaths within a ten mile radius, and will deliver radiation burns in varying degrees to people within a 50 to 100 mile radius of the original detonation.

There is no way of knowing when a terrorist attack is going to happen other staying up to date with their current activities, and listening to the warning signs. Most often, reported coverage of the terrorists and their activities by news stations comes after the fact, but in the event that a leak occurs over an intended planned attack you can do several things to prepare for it, and protect your family.

Many homes in the last several years have been designed with an added "Safe Room" or a "Panic Room" as well as other safety features that include bullet resistant walls and doors. Safe Rooms are well stocked rooms that allow you to quietly hide when an intruder has invaded your home. Normally they are equipped with an alarm that can be activated or they contain an extra phone with a separate line installed so that an emergency call can be made to notify the police.

Other features that can be installed in a "Safe Room" are bullet proof, non-ricocheting doors and walls, which are obviously extreme, but so are terrorist attacks. Fiberglass armor is used in government complexes, judge's benches, doors, government vehicles, corporate entries, CEO offices, convenience stores, petroleum retailers, police station dispatch areas, cash rooms, hospitals, pharmacies, and safe rooms.

In the event of a terrorist attack these rooms are a shelter that have been adequately equipped with a month's worth of food and supplies along with properly sealed windows and doors that block out harmful radiation. Polyethylene stops airflow and vapor transmission and can be used to cover windows from inside or out.

Once you have learned that there is a virtual threat of radiation or chemicals possibly contaminating the air, enclose your family within your Safe Room, and seal it off from the inside with the Polyethylene. Cover all vents and airflow ports with the protective material using duct tape to secure it in place. Listen to the news and stay updated so that you can learn when it is safe to exit the Safe Room. While there is no guarantee that any of us will survive a terrorist attack, we can at least be prepared in the event that the worst happens, and pray for the best possible outcome.

Stocking Your Safe Room

Flashlights & extra batteries
Portable radio & extra batteries
Aspirin, Tylenol, Potassium Iodide tablets, and other needed medications
Sanitary products
Canned-food
Hand held can opener
Several gallons of bottled water
Paper cups
Forks, spoons, & knives
Paper towels
Towels
Blankets
Trash bags
Duct tape
Scissors
Porta-potty
A watch
A gun & ammunition
The Bible

Do not use candles or other oxygen burning objects for heat, light, or cooking as they will deplete your oxygen more quickly in an air tight room.

According to FEMA, a chemical attack can come without warning, but the signs are evident and include: difficulty with breathing; experiencing eye irritation; losing coordination; becoming nauseated; or having a burning sensation in the nose, throat, and lungs. Also, the presence of many dead insects or birds may indicate a chemical agent release.

During a chemical attack, FEMA recommends that you close doors and windows and turn off all ventilation, including furnaces, air conditioners, vents, and fans. Seek shelter in an internal room and take your disaster supplies kit. Immediately seal the room with duct tape and plastic sheeting, and listen to your radio for instructions from authorities.

Radioactive Fallout

Even if you are not within the proximity of a nuclear blast, you can still be affected by the direct impacts from radioactive fallout. Blasts that occur near the earth's surface create much greater amounts of fallout than blasts that occur at higher altitudes. This is because the tremendous heat produced from a nuclear blast causes an up-draft of air that forms the familiar mushroom cloud. When a blast occurs near the earth's surface, millions of vaporized dirt particles also are drawn into the cloud. As the heat diminishes, radioactive materials that have vaporized condense on the particles and fall back to Earth. The phenomenon is called radioactive fallout. This fallout material decays over a long period of time, and is the main source of residual nuclear radiation.

Potassium Iodide tablets or (KI) has been advised as a suitable preventative for radiation fallout. Potassium Iodide is the ingredient added to your table salt to make it iodized salt. In 1978, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration found KI "safe and effective" for use in radiological emergencies and approved its over-the-counter sale. In Europe, these tablets are distributed by the government, and kept in households for possible use in the event of a nuclear radiation attack. Obviously there is no medicine that will effectively prevent nuclear radiations from damaging the human body cells, but a tablet with the elements potassium and iodine, taken orally day before radioactive iodine's are swallowed or inhaled, prevents about 99% of the damage to the thyroid gland that otherwise would result.