U.S. leaders plan for the `next time'

For a nation unaccustomed to mass carnage on its soil, Sept. 11 was more than mere shock. It was virtually inconceivable.

A future large-scale attack may not be so surprising. Indeed, with Vice President Dick Cheney and FBI Director Robert Mueller warning that not all attacks will be stopped, public agencies and private citizens are pondering worstcase questions. Next time, how will Americans react psychologically? How should families of victims be compensated? Are emergency services up to the challenge?

Many jurisdictions - including big cities like New York - have not issued detailed advisories to their citizens, saying there are too many variables. But New York's Police Department is considering new procedures for responding to any future attack, such as creating a "shadow staff" to run the department if top commanders are killed.

Authorities in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia have been working to coordinate their responses - including evacuation plans - in the event of a terrorist strike on Washington. At the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, scientists are developing a plan to track toxic agents in the event of a biological or chemical attack.

Fire departments and emergency workers in many communities have been practicing decontamination drills. Even the Humane Society of the United States is acknowledging the terrorist threat, urging families with pets to account for the animals when they develop evacuation plans.

The American Red Cross has overhauled its fund-raising policies and preparedness efforts.

Training has been expanded at the Clara Barton Center for Domestic Preparedness, on the grounds of the Pine Bluff Arsenal in Arkansas. The goal is to prepare Red Cross volunteers to respond to biological, chemical or nuclear terrorism.

"These incidents tend to be very complex," said Armond Mascelli, the Red Cross senior director of disaster services. "You do your best to puzzle through it and look at the contingencies. But even with the best of planning, issues will come up that weren't anticipated."

The Red Cross also has acted to avoid a recurrence of criticism that surfaced after Sept. 11, when many donors grumbled at revelations their gifts would be used in response to future disasters.

Under a new program implemented July 31, donors are urged to give unrestricted gifts to a relief fund that could be tapped in response to any number of different disasters.

Relief experts say the planning challenges they now face are unprecedented.

"In preparing for disasters in the past, we were always able to map vulnerabilities and risks - we knew coastal states were more vulnerable to hurricanes, the Midwest to flooding," said Rick Augsburger, an emergency-response coordinator with Church World Service.

"With terrorism, the entire country is impacted and traumatized."

Augsburger also noted that responses to past disasters focused on meeting material needs.

"Sept. 11 brought a shift - realizing the importance of supporting people spiritually and emotionally," he said. His agency is studying ways to reduce burnout and "compassion fatigue" among clergy ministering to traumatized people after a future attack.

Psychologists and terrorism experts offer varying predictions of how Americans will react emotionally to another strike.

Gerard Jacobs, director of the Disaster Mental Health Institute at the University of South Dakota, is concerned Islamic Americans might suffer more harassment. But overall, he said, "the American people tend to pull together more than they tend to pull apart."

One sensitive matter almost certainly will be handled differently after future attacks - compensation of victims' families.

The Bush administration is proposing that future terrorism compensation awards be capped at $250,000, matching the amount provided to families of public safety officers killed in the line of duty.

This would be far lower than the estimated average payment of $1.85 million expected to be awarded to Sept. 11 families from the federal Victim Compensation Fund. Families accepting awards from the fund had to waive their right to sue, but the Bush administration proposal would not impose that restriction in future cases.

Kenneth Feinberg, administrator of the Sept. 11 fund, said federal policy-makers appear to be realizing that multimillion-dollar, taxfree awards can't be guaranteed in perpetuity to all families of future terrorism victims.

Setting fixed compensation would be more efficient than the procedures used by Feinberg's staff, who exhaustively review each family's financial circumstances.

Feinberg said families of those killed in future attacks shouldn't feel entitled automatically to large federal payouts. "If somebody saves three children, then drowns in a flood, they don't get $250,000," he said.

Kristin Breitweiser of Middletown, N.J., whose husband died at the World Trade Center, said future federal compensation should depend on the degree of government responsibility. She blames the Sept. 11 attacks on a systematic failure of security operations and said similar problems in the future would obligate the government to be generous to victims' families.

As for the American people, Red Cross fund-raising executive Michael Farley believes the outpouring of support seen after Sept. 11 would be repeated in response to a future attack.

"I see a bottomless well of generosity," he said. "One of the characteristics of Americans is the willingness to support one another, no matter what the frequency or gravity of the disaster."
Preparing yourself

Some advice from the American Red Cross on how to prepare for the possibility of a major terrorist attack:

Develop a personal and family disaster plan, including plans for emergency communications with family, friends and neighbors.

Assemble disaster kit that includes water, food, first-aid supplies, prescription medicines, clothing, portable radio or TV and extra batteries. Keep items you would need during an evacuation in easyto-carry container.

Store at least a three-day supply of nonperishable food. Select foods that require no refrigeration, preparation or cooking, and little or no water. Select compact, lightweight food items.

Keep important documents such as wills, passports and financial records in a waterproof, portable container.

If an attack occurs, listen to radio or TV for information and instructions, obey any governmentordered travel restrictions, provide volunteer services only as requested.

If ordered to evacuate, wear long-sleeved shirts, long pants and sturdy shoes. Shut off water and electricity before leaving. Leave natural gas service on unless local officials advise you otherwise.

If advised by local officials to "shelter in place," remain inside your home or office. Close and lock windows and exterior doors. Turn off fans, heating and air conditioning systems. Close fireplace damper. Get disaster supplies kit, make sure radio is working and go to a windowless room that is above ground level.

In the case of a chemical threat, use duct tape to seal all cracks around the door and any vents into the room.

People who may have been exposed to a biological or chemical agent may need to undergo a decontamination procedure and receive medical attention. Listen to advice of local officials on radio or TV to determine what steps to take. Call 911 only about lifethreatening emergencies.

Uploaded September 11, 2002