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Ridge launches terror preparedness campaign'An emergency is not the time to plan'
CINCINNATI, Ohio (CNN) -- U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge on Wednesday stressed the importance of people being prepared -- instead of panicking -- in the event of a terrorist attack, and he urged the American public to take simple steps to protect themselves and their families. "The threat of terrorism forces us to make a choice. We can be afraid, or we can be ready," Ridge said during a speech at the American Red Cross chapter in Cincinnati to announce the nationwide "Ready Campaign." The campaign includes a Web site, broadcast media and print ads and a 1-800 number with information on what people should do to prepare for a possible attack. "An emergency is not the time to plan; it's the time to react, so be informed," Ridge said. "The actions you would take in a conventional attack may be counterproductive if you took them in response to a different kind of attack." Ridge urged people to put together an emergency kit stocked with a three-day supply of food, flashlights, batteries, medicines and other supplies -- including duct tape and plastic sheeting to seal windows and doors in case of chemical attack. Last week, a similar recommendation, issued three days after the Bush administration raised the terror alert level from yellow (elevated) to orange (high), sparked a run on emergency supplies and sent administration officials and even President Bush scrambling to reassure people that there was no need to panic. "Americans should go about their lives," Bush said in his weekly radio address Saturday. He stressed that raising the alert level "is primarily a signal to federal, state and local law enforcement to take additional precautions and increase security measures against potential terrorist attacks." The recommendation became the butt of jokes and provided ammunition for Democrats, who said the White House was not doing enough to protect the public. "This administration has to do a lot better," Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, D-South Dakota, said Wednesday, urging the president to provide more funding for homeland security. "They have to do a lot more than tell people that the responsibility is now on their shoulders." Ridge said Wednesday that sealing off a room could protect people for several hours in the event of a chemical attack, but he stressed that there was no need to make a safe room at this time. "Stash away the duct tape. Don't use it, stash it away and that pre-measured plastic sheeting for future -- and I emphasize future use," Ridge said. "[You] probably won't need it, but in case you do, you'll have it available." He also suggested that people make a plan to reach their families in the event of an emergency. Ridge said that if people are prepared they will be able to help themselves in the event of an attack, which also will help emergency workers. "They tell us that avoiding panic and confusion in a crisis helps them do their jobs better. So when you protect yourself, you're protecting your community, and it's one less concern that the first responders have at the time of an incident," Ridge said. More is available on the Homeland Security Department's www.ready.gov Web site and by calling 1-800-BE READY. Ridge said the Ready Campaign "is not just a response to terrorism. We firmly believe it's a deterrent. "A nation of citizens who are alert and prepared, a nation of citizens who refuse to panic, that's a terrorist's greatest fear," he said.
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