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In a
perfect world there would be no need for a Damascus Emergency Preparedness
Team and no need for Certified Emergency Response Training. |
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But we do
not live in a perfect world. Emergencies constantly occur. |
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Here in
Damascus the challenge of meeting emergencies is especially formidable
because of our close proximity to Washington, DC. During the Cold War this
was particularly true, and is it even truer today as America’s unseen
terrorist enemies up the ante. |
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The first
attack on New York’s World Trade Center took place in 1993 with a 500-lb.
bomb delivered to the parking garage of the Center in a Ryder truck. Eight
years were to pass before the second attack by air, giving us an ominous
gauge of the patience and long-range outlook of the terrorists who struck. |
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More than seven years have passed since 9/11 took place, but that amount of time is
infinitesimal to the calendars of the terror conspirators. Even though the
current terror alert is only “elevated,” we have no assurance that a more
determined assault will not be made against our country at some
indeterminate date ahead. We have no way of knowing whether it will be
sooner or later. |
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In the
case of a so-called “dirty bomb” (low-yield nuclear) attack against
Washington the panic and chaos that would immediately ensue are almost
beyond envisioning. With the closer-in populations taking to the road,
outlying areas such as Damascus are unusually vulnerable to disruption and
dislocation and are at risk of being totally overwhelmed by fleeing
refugees. |
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In
addition, there are serious Pentagon reports of “magnetic bombs” that
would wreak havoc on our electronics infrastructure, knocking out
communications and computers, with especially dire consequence for our
banking and financial networks. In a world of suddenly limited monetary
resources, only those with ample supplies of cash would be able to compete
for commodities such as food and shelter. Indeed, it is more likely that
such allocations might be resolved through brute force and violence. It’s
not a pretty picture. |
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As dire,
outlandish and appallingly bleak as such scenarios seem, they must be
realistically and seriously considered. While they may not be entirely
probable, they are possible, and as such must be addressed with open eyes. |
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There is a
time-worn saying that goes, “The future belongs to those who prepare for
it.” Emergency preparedness certainly falls within this definition. |
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Here among
the Damascus Emergency Preparedness Team, our vision, then, must be one of
a less-than-perfect world in which we have taken all reasonable measures
to ensure that we will be able to deal with the seemingly unreal but
nevertheless imminently devastating emergencies that may confront us even
as we fervently pray they may never occur. |
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For
more information, please contact DEPT president Paul Laing at
plaing56@verizon.net |
