As you begin to take any action:
1. Review your prepared SIP plans in your mind.
2. Turn your battery powered radio/TV to emergency channels
3. Review the prevailing wind and weather conditions
As soon as an attack is realized, move indoors. For all
attack possibilities, initially don your
filter mask (HEPA, N95 or Air-Aide) immediately and keep it
on until told it is safe to take it
off. Bring pets into the shelter area. Secure all windows
and doors and cut off all air circulation
systems. Take your Shelter-in-Place kit and your Bug-Out-Bag
into your shelter area.
SHELTER-IN-PLACE KIT
1. Portable radio and extra batteries
2. Plastic Sheeting and Duct Tape
3. Scissors or a sharp knife
4. Drinking Water
5. Cloth Towels (if not already sheltering in the bathroom)
6. Flashlight and extra batteries
7. Non perishable, dried, snack foods
8. First Aid Kit
9. Personal medications
10. HEPA, N95 or Air-Aide mask
11. Your plan(s) checklist
Make the selected shelter area as air tight as possible.
Do not use the phone to seek emergency information, to warn
relatives, or to check
on friends and relatives. At this point, everyone’s previous
planning is all that is needed.
Most terrorist attacks will require you to shelter in place
for at least some part of the
emergency. Chemical and biological agents will usually
require shelter-in-place for 4-6
hours until such agents can dissipate.
Knowing the type of attack/emergency will help you make good
choices.
Be prepared in case you do not get official attack/emergency
information for hours and
what you do receive may be conflicting.
Act on the worst-case scenario while including all other
types of emergencies in your
preparation.
If at home, choose a room with few or no windows or glass
exterior
doors and perhaps over-lapping interior door systems. A
bathroom off the master
bedroom is a good choice.
If the room you have chosen to shelter in has a wood floor
or has carpet over wood,
plan to cover the floor with plastic and tape. Do not forget
to seal any electrical outlet
boxes in the room, air/heating duct outlets, built in
medicine cabinets, ceiling light fixtures,
etc.
Until you know for sure that a chemical attack has not
occurred, act as if it has. Second
floor areas are primary shelter from chemical and biological
attacks if available. Most
chemicals used by terrorists, as well as many biological
agents will tend to pool in low areas.
Cover areas around windows and doors according to your
prepared plan.
When the danger is radiological, the first floor will be
best for sheltering in place. Put as much
brick, concrete, and solid items between you and the outside
as possible. Even the crawl
space under a house, if built on supporting piers, is good
if the area can be sealed.
If using a bathroom to shelter in place, fill the sinks and
bathtubs with water as soon as you
can after covering doors and windows. Water already in
piping and water towers will usually
be safe long enough to fill all bathroom receptacles. Have
at least one gallon of drinking
water for each person in the shelter.
If you do not shelter in a toilet area be sure to remember
to plan for toilet needs for an
extended period of time.
Do not worry about running out of air as this will probably
be the least of your problems.
