Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
to be activated by light, pressure, movement, or radio transmission. The potential
exists for single or multiple bombing incidents in single or multiple municipalities.
Historically, less than 5% of actual or attempted bombings were preceded by
a threat.
Combined Hazards
WMD agents can be combined to achieve a synergistic effect—greater in total effect
than the sum of their individual effects. They may be combined to achieve both
immediate and delayed consequences. Mixed infections or toxic exposures may
occur, thereby complicating or delaying diagnosis. Casualties of multiple agents
may exist; casualties may also suffer from multiple effects, such as trauma and burns
from an explosion, which may exacerbate the likelihood of agent contamination.
Attacks may be planned and executed so as to take advantage of the reduced
effectiveness of protective measures produced by employment of an initial WMD
agent. Finally, the potential exists for multiple incidents in single or multiple
municipalities.
Other Terrorism Hazards
Planners also need to consider the possibility of unusual or unique types of ter-
rorist attacks previously not considered likely. For example, prior to the attacks of
September 11, 2001, the use of multiple commercial airliners with full fuel loads
as explosive incendiary devices in well-coordinated attacks on public and private
targets, was not considered a likely terrorist scenario.
Although it is not realistically possible to plan for and prevent every conceivable
type of terrorist attack, planners should anticipate that future terrorism attempts
could range from simple, isolated attacks to complex, sophisticated, highly coor-
dinated acts of destruction using multiple agents aimed at one or multiple targets.
Therefore, the plans developed for terrorist incidents must be broad in scope, yet
flexible enough to deal with the unexpected.
These considerations are particularly important in planning to handle the con-
sequences of attacks using low-technology devices and delivery, assaults on public
infrastructure, and cyber terrorism. In these cases, the training and experience of
the responders may be more important than detailed procedures.
Low-Technology Devices and Delivery
Planning for possibility of terrorist attacks must consider the fact that explosives
can be delivered by a variety of methods. Most explosive and incendiary devices
