Terrorist attacks are unprecedented and come at the least expected times. Hence, the best way to prepare the community for a terrorist attack is by informing them that they too can become victims, training individuals on what to do immediately after an attack, and facilitating access to resources to deal with associated issues. Although many individuals in the US are familiar with the destructive scope of terrorist attacks, very few have witnessed these acts first-hand. Thus, the first step to limiting unpreparedness is to inform community members of their predisposition to terrorist attacks and create awareness to reinforce positive mitigation values (Kimhi et al., 2020). This process involves utilizing community resources and solutions like social media, educational institutions, and disaster management experts, to spread information and engage individuals in a discussion of potential mitigation strategies.
In addition, preparing the community for a potential terrorist attack should involve mobilizing first-line respondents and organizing all stakeholders into teams that will act more efficiently in case of an attack. Law enforcement, health and emergency services, paramedics, and firefighters are among the professional groups expected to offer immediate assistance to individuals after an attack. Therefore, mobilizing these teams and informing them of what is required or how to maximize the outcomes of their initiatives is critical to ensure appropriate preparedness (Mills, 2019). The recommended technique to ensure that respondents are well prepared is taking them through training using scenario-based learning to expose them to some of the issues they might encounter during response. Moreover, I will liaise with emergency management teams and local authorities to facilitate resource allocation and ensure that all stakeholders have access to the tools they need to ensure a prompt response.
Terrorists use weapons and tactics that expose individuals to extreme environmental and physical hazards. Therefore, the safety concerns during and after an attack include dangers to individuals’ health and irreversible physical or mental injuries. The widely adopted tools include explosives, flammable agents, and chemical or biological weapons that can adversely affect people (Wurmb et al., 2020). Additionally, individuals who witness terror attacks are at high risk of developing mental and emotional issues as a result of the traumatic experience. Thus, the main priority when preparing for a terrorist attack is ensuring limited casualties by facilitating a quick response and encouraging the adoption of mitigation strategies like robust buildings, escape routes, and techniques to avoid injuries.
The main security risk of terrorist attacks is the use of biological, chemical, or radiological weapons that can have implications for the community after the attack is perpetrated. The ultimate aim of preparedness is to limit exposure to adversities during and after a terrorist attack. However, the implications of chemical and biological weapons might not be easily observable, thus presenting a threat to individuals’ well-being and security after the attack is carried out (Rice & Jahn, 2020). Additionally, it is necessary to ensure that an area is free of explosives and other agents that can lead to more destruction. Thus, a recommended approach to limiting the potential security hazard of terrorist attacks is assessing its attributes and carefully cleaning up debris after the attack. In addition, recovery personnel can introduce antitoxins and solutions to eliminate poisonous agents in the case of biological and chemical weapons before allowing individuals into the area.
References
Kimhi, S., Marciano, H., Eshel, Y., & Adini, B. (2020). Community and national resilience and their predictors in face of terror.International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 50, 101746. Web.
Mills, M. F. (2019). Preparing for the unknown… unknowns: ‘doomsday’ prepping and disaster risk anxiety in the United States.Journal of Risk Research, 22(10), 1267-1279. Web.
Rice, R. M., & Jahn, J. L. (2020). Disaster resilience as communication practice: Remembering and forgetting lessons from past disasters through practices that prepare for the next one.Journal of Applied Communication Research, 48(1), 136-155. Web.
Wurmb, T., Franke, A., Schorscher, N., Kowalzik, B., Helm, M., Bohnen, R., Helmerichs, J., Grueneisen, U., Cwojdzinski, D., Jung, G., Lücking, G., & Weber, M. (2020). Emergency response to terrorist attacks: results of the federal-conducted evaluation process in Germany.European journal of trauma and emergency surgery, 46(4), 725-730. Web.