The Terrorism Threat

The destruction of the World Trade Center, and the continuing terrorist threats in today's world, have plunged a lot of people into a downward spiral of fear. For some, this fear has been paralyzing. For others, it simply brings restless nights and anxiety. In spite of the fact that our chances of being caught directly in the midst of some terrorist act are probably smaller than being caught in a bad traffic accident, most of us find it hard to shake the fear that terrorism could strike our selves or our loved ones.

We are all well aware of the potential for horrendous accidents on our freeways, yet we drive on our freeways with only passing concerns about traffic accidents. Victims of both terrorism and car accidents are usually innocent people who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, so what makes the image of a fatal accident on the freeway so much less intimidating than those jets flying into the Twin Towers? The most obvious answer is the magnitude of the situation, but another key factor is insurance. Most of us have automotive and medical insurance but who has insurance against terrorism? Emergency preparedness is one form of terrorism insurance that can help you put your mind at ease, knowing that you have done your best to protect yourself and family.  

Before September 11, if you mentioned emergency preparedness, it tended to conjure up images of survivalists crawling around in the woods, shooting at each other with paint ball guns and preparing to fight off the starving hordes in some grim apocalyptic fantasy. Not so anymore. In today's world of terrorist acts, global warming, and super-storms, we recognize that most of us will probably experience significant disruptions in the flow of electricity and goods at some point in our lives. Stocking up on a few extra supplies, learning some new skills, and making a few emergency contingency plans doesn't take a lot of time or money, and it's cheap insurance that can foster peace of mind in turbulent times.

The four basic areas for emergency preparations are:

•  Portable short term supplies (72 hour Grab-And-Run kits)
•  Supplies for longer term disruptions
•  Mental preparations and planning
•  Medical supplies and healing skills