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Terrorist Attacks




Terrorism refers to the use or threat of force or violence against people or property. A bioterrorist attack releases viruses, bacteria, or other germs to cause illness or death. These biological agents are typically found in nature. But they can sometimes be made more harmful by increasing their ability to cause or spread disease, or to resist medical treatment.

Biological agents spread through the air, water or in food. They can be very hard to detect, and they don't cause illness for several hours or days. Some agents can also be spread from person to person. Scientists worry that anthrax, botulism, hemorrhagic fever viruses such as Ebola, plague, or smallpox could be used as biological agents.

Devastating acts, such as the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, have left many concerned about the possibility of future incidents in the United States and their potential impact. They have raised uncertainty about what might happen next, increasing stress levels. Nevertheless, there are things you can do to prepare for the unexpected and reduce the stress that you may feel now and later should another emergency arise. Taking preparatory action can reassure you and your children that you can exert a measure of control even in the face of such events.

What You Can Do to Prepare?

    1. Create an emergency communications plan.Choose an out-of-town contact your family or household will call or e-mail to check on each other should a disaster occur. Your selected contact should live far enough away that they would be unlikely to be directly affected by the same event, and they should know they are the chosen contact. Make sure every household member has that contact's, and each other's, e-mail addresses and telephone numbers (home, work, pager and cell). Leave these contact numbers at your children's schools, if you have children, and at your workplace. Your family should know that if telephones are not working, they need to be patient and try again later or try e-mail. Many people flood the telephone lines when emergencies happen but e-mail can sometimes get through when calls don't.

    2. Establish a meeting place. Having a predetermined meeting place away from your home will save time and minimize confusion should your home be affected or the area evacuated. You may even want to make arrangements to stay with a family member or friend in case of an emergency. Be sure to include any pets in these plans, since pets are not permitted in shelters and some hotels will not accept them.

    3. Assemble a disaster supplies kit. If you need to evacuate your home or are asked to "shelter in place," having some essential supplies on hand will make you and your family more comfortable. Prepare a disaster supplies kit in an easy-to-carry container such as a duffel bag or small plastic trash can. Include "special needs" items for any member of your household (infant formula or items for people with disabilities or older people), first aid supplies (including prescription medications), a change of clothing for each household member, a sleeping bag or bedroll for each, a battery powered radio or television and extra batteries, food, bottled water and tools. It is also a good idea to include some cash and copies of important family documents (birth certificates, passports and licenses) in your kit.

    Copies of essential documents-like powers of attorney, birth and marriage certificates, insurance policies, life insurance beneficiary designations and a copy of your will-should also be kept in a safe location outside your home. A safe deposit box or the home of a friend or family member who lives out of town is a good choice.

    Check on the school emergency plan of any school-age children you may have. You need to know if they will they keep children at school until a parent or designated adult can pick them up or send them home on their own. Be sure that the school has updated information about how to reach parents and responsible caregivers to arrange for pickup. And, ask what type of authorization the school may require to release a child to someone you designate, if you are not able to pick up your child. During times of emergency the school telephones may be overwhelmed with calls.
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Additional Positive Steps You Can Take

Raw, unedited footage of terrorism events and people's reaction to those events can be very upsetting, especially to children. We do not recommend that children watch television news reports about such events, especially if the news reports show images over and over again about the same incident. Young children do not realize that it is repeated video footage, and think the event is happening again and again. Adults may also need to give themselves a break from watching disturbing footage. However, listening to local radio and television reports will provide you with the most accurate information from responsible governmental authorities on what's happening and what actions you will need to take. So you may want to make some arrangements to take turns listening to the news with other adult members of your household.

Another useful preparation includes learning some basic first aid. To enroll in a first aid and AED/CPR course, contact your local American Red Cross chapter. In an emergency situation, you need to tend to your own well-being first and then consider first aid for others immediately around you, including possibly assisting injured people to evacuate a building if necessary.

People who may have come into contact with a biological or chemical agent may need to go through a decontamination procedure and receive medical attention. Listen to the advice of local officials on the radio or television to determine what steps you will need to take to protect yourself and your family. As emergency services will likely be overwhelmed, only call 9-1-1 about life-threatening emergencies.

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First Aid Primer

If you encounter someone who is injured, apply the emergency action steps: Check-Call-Care. Check the scene to make sure it is safe for you to approach. Then check the victim for unconsciousness and life-threatening conditions. Someone who has a life-threatening condition, such as not breathing or severe bleeding, requires immediate care by trained responders and may require treatment by medical professionals. Call out for help. There are some steps that you can take, however, to care for someone who is hurt, but whose injuries are not life threatening.
    Control Bleeding
    • Cover the wound with a dressing, and press firmly against the wound (direct pressure).
    • Elevate the injured area above the level of the heart if you do not suspect that the victim has a broken bone.
    • Cover the dressing with a roller bandage.
    • If the bleeding does not stop:
      • Apply additional dressings and bandages.
      • Use a pressure point to squeeze the artery against the bone.
    • Provide care for shock.
    Care for Shock
    • Keep the victim from getting chilled or overheated.
    • Elevate the legs about 12 inches (if broken bones are not suspected).
    • Do not give food or drink to the victim.
    Tend Burns
    • Stop the burning by cooling the burn with large amounts of water.
    • Cover the burn with dry, clean dressings or cloth.
    Care for Injuries to Muscles, Bones and Joints
    • Rest the injured part.
    • Apply ice or a cold pack to control swelling and reduce pain.
    • Avoid any movement or activity that causes pain.
    • If you must move the victim because the scene is becoming unsafe, try to immobilize the injured part to keep it from moving.
    Reduce Any Care Risks
    • The risk of getting a disease while giving first aid is extremely rare. However, to reduce the risk even further:
    • Avoid direct contact with blood and other body fluids.
    • Use protective equipment, such as disposable gloves and breathing barriers.
    • Thoroughly wash your hands with soap and water immediately after giving care.
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Terrorist Attacks and Children

When terrorist attacks occur, our children may witness or learn about these events by watching TV, talking with people at school, or over hearing adults discussing the events. For instance, the September 11th, 2001 attacks and the Oklahoma City bombing received widespread attention and media coverage and many children were exposed. But how should we speak to our children about these events when they occur? Should we shield them from such horrors or talk openly about them? How can we help children make sense of a tragedy that we ourselves cannot understand? How will children react? How can we help our children recover? Fortunately, there have been relatively few terrorist attacks. One consequence of this is that there is little empirical research to help us answer the above questions. Information from related events can be used to provide answers.

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How do children respond to terrorism?

There is a wide range of emotional, behavioral, and physiological reactions that children may display following a terrorist attack. From previous research, we know that more severe reactions are associated with a higher degree of exposure (i.e., life threat, physical injury, witnessing death or injury, hearing screams, etc.), closer proximity to the disaster, a history of prior traumas, being female, poor parental response, and parental mental health problems.

There is some research on children from the September 11th, 2001 attacks and the Oklahoma City Bombing. In a national sample of adults surveyed 3-5 days after the September 11th attacks, 35% of parents reported that their children had at least one stress symptom and almost half reported that their children were worried about their own safety or the safety of a loved one. Two factors related to increased stress symptoms were 1) amout of television coverage viewed by the child, and 2) parental distress. Children who watched the most coverage were reported to have more stress symptoms than those who watched less coverage. Similiarly, parents who endorsed more stress symptoms were also more likely to report that their children were upset, indicating a relationship between parental and child distress.

Findings from a study following the Oklahoma City bombing indicate that more severe reactions were related to being female, knowing someone injured or killed, and bomb-related television viewing and media exposure.
  • Helplessness and passivity; lack of usual responsiveness
  • Generalized fear
  • Heightened arousal and confusion
  • Cognitive confusion
  • Difficulty talking about event; lack of verbalization
  • Difficulty identifying feelings
  • Nightmares and other sleep disturbances
  • Separation fears and clinging to caregivers
  • Regressive symptoms (e.g., bedwetting, loss of acquired speech and motor skills)
  • Inability to understand death as permanent
  • Anxieties about death
  • Grief related to abandonment by caregiver
  • Somatic symptoms (e.g., stomach aches, headaches)
  • Startle response to loud or unusual noises
  • "Freezing" (sudden immobility of body)
  • Fussiness, uncharacteristic crying, and neediness
  • Avoidance of or alarm response to specific trauma-related reminders involving sights and physical sensations
  • Separation anxiety
  • Loss of interest in activities
  • Confusion and inadequate understanding of traumatic events (more evident in play than in discussion)
  • Unclear understanding of death and the causes of "bad" events
  • Giving magical explanations to fill in gaps in understanding
  • Loss of ability to concentrate at school, with lowering of performance
  • "Spacey" or distractible behavior
  • Excessive activity and involvement with others, or retreat from others in order to manage inner turmoil
  • Accident proneness
  • Wish for revenge and action-oriented responses to trauma
  • Increased self-focusing and withdrawal
  • Sleep and eating disturbances, including nightmares
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Tips for talking with your children about terrorisms

Create a safe environment.

One of the most important steps you can take is to help children feel safe. If possible, children should be placed in a familiar environment with people that they feel close to. Keep your child's routine as regular as possible. Children find comfort in having things be consistent and familiar.

Provide children with reassurance and extra emotional support.

Adults need to create an environment in which children feel safe enough to ask questions, express feelings, or just be by themselves. Let your children know they can ask questions. Ask your children what they have heard and how they feel about it. Reassure your child that they are safe and that you will not abandon them.

Be honest with children about what happened.

Provide accurate information, but make sure it is appropriate to their developmental level. Very young children may be protected because they are not old enough to be aware that something bad has happened. School age children will need help understanding what has happened. You might want to tell them that there has been a terrible accident and that many people have been hurt or killed. Adolescents will have a better idea of what has occurred. It may be appropriate to watch selected news coverage with your adolescent and then discuss it.

Tell children what the government is doing.

Reassure children that the state and federal government, police, firemen, and hospitals are doing everything possible. Explain that people from all over the country and from other countries offer their services in times of need.

Be aware that children will often take on the anxiety of the adults around them.

Parents have difficulty finding a balance between sharing their own feelings with their children and not placing their anxiety on their children. For example, the September 11 th attack on the United States was inconceivable. Our sense of safety and freedom was shattered. Many parents felt scared and fearful of another attack. Others were angry and revengeful. Parents must deal with their own emotional reactions before they can help children understand and label their feelings. Parents who are frightened may want to explain that to their child, but they should also talk about their ability to cope and how family members can help each other.

Try to put the event in perspective.

Although you yourself may be anxious or scared, children need to know that attacks are rare events. They also need to know that the world is generally a safe place.


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Information obtained from National Institute of Health
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