<p>Terrorist use of an RDD—often called
“dirty nuke” or “dirty bomb”—is considered far more likely
than use of a nuclear explosive device. An RDD combines a conventional
explosive device—such as a bomb—with radioactive material. It is
designed to scatter dangerous and sub-lethal amounts of radioactive
material over a general area. Such RDDs appeal to terrorists because
they require limited technical knowledge to build and deploy compared
to a nuclear device. Also, the radioactive materials in RDDs are widely
used in medicine, agriculture, industry, and research, and are easier
to obtain than weapons grade uranium or plutonium.</p><p>The primary purpose of terrorist use
of an RDD is to cause psychological fear and economic disruption. Some
devices could cause fatalities from exposure to radioactive materials.
Depending on the speed at which the area of the RDD detonation was evacuated
or how successful people were at sheltering-in-place, the number of
deaths and injuries from an RDD might not be substantially greater than
from a conventional bomb explosion.</p><p>The size of the affected area and the
level of destruction caused by an RDD would depend on the sophistication
and size of the conventional bomb, the type of radioactive material
used, the quality and quantity of the radioactive material, and the
local meteorological conditions—primarily wind and precipitation.
The area affected could be placed off-limits to the public for several
months during cleanup efforts.</p><p><strong>Before a Radiological Dispersion Device
Event</strong></p><p>There is no way of knowing how much warning
time there will be before an attack by terrorists using a Radiological
Dispersion Device (RDD), so being prepared in advance and knowing what
to do and when is important. </p><p><strong><em>Prepare For an RDD Event</em></strong></p><ul><li>Find out from officials if
any public buildings in your community have been designated as fallout
shelters. If none have been designated, make your own list of potential
shelters near your home, workplace, and school. These places would include
basements or the windowless center area of middle floors in high-rise
buildings, as well as subways and tunnels.</li><li>If you live in an apartment
building or high-rise, talk to the manager about the safest place in
the building for sheltering and about providing for building occupants
until it is safe to go out.</li><li>During periods of increased
threat increase your disaster supplies to be adequate for up to two
weeks. </li></ul><p>Taking shelter during an RDD event is
absolutely necessary. There are two kinds of shelters - blast and fallout.
The following describes the two kinds of shelters:</p><ul><li><strong>Blast shelters</strong> are
specifically constructed to offer some protection against blast pressure,
initial radiation, heat, and fire. But even a blast shelter cannot withstand
a direct hit from a nuclear explosion.</li><li><strong>Fallout shelters</strong> do
not need to be specially constructed for protecting against fallout.
They can be any protected space, provided that the walls and roof are
thick and dense enough to absorb the radiation given off by fallout
particles. </li></ul><p><strong>During a Radiological Dispersion Device
Event</strong></p><p>While the explosive blast will be immediately
obvious, the presence of radiation will not be known until trained personnel
with specialized equipment are on the scene. Whether you are indoors
or outdoors, home or at work, be extra cautious. It would be safer to
assume radiological contamination has occurred—particularly in an
urban setting or near other likely terrorist targets—and take the
proper precautions. As with any radiation, you want to avoid or limit
exposure. This is particularly true of inhaling radioactive dust that
results from the explosion. As you seek shelter from any location (indoors
or outdoors) and there is visual dust or other contaminants in the air,
breathe though the cloth of your shirt or coat to limit your exposure.
If you manage to avoid breathing radioactive dust, your proximity to
the radioactive particles may still result in some radiation exposure.</p><p>If the explosion or radiological release
occurs inside, get out immediately and seek safe shelter. Otherwise,
if you are:</p><a name="0.6_table01"></a><div><ul><table border="4"><tbody><tr><td><table><tbody><tr valign="top"></tr><td><strong>Outdoors</strong></td>
<td><strong>Indoors</strong></td></tbody><tr valign="top"><td>Seek shelter indoors
immediately in the nearest undamaged building. <br />
<br />
If appropriate shelter is not available, move as rapidly as is safe
upwind and away from the location of the explosive blast. Then, seek
appropriate shelter as soon as possible. <br />
<br />
Listen for official instructions and follow directions.</td>
<td>If you have time, turn off ventilation
and heating systems, close windows, vents, fireplace dampers, exhaust
fans, and clothes dryer vents. Retrieve your disaster supplies kit and
a battery-powered radio and take them to your shelter room. <br />
<br />
Seek shelter immediately, preferably underground or in an interior room
of a building, placing as much distance and dense shielding as possible
between you and the outdoors where the radioactive material may be. <br />
<br />
Seal windows and external doors that do not fit snugly with duct tape
to reduce infiltration of radioactive particles. Plastic sheeting will
not provide shielding from radioactivity nor from blast effects of a
nearby explosion. <br />
<br />
Listen for official instructions and follow directions.</td></tr></table></td></td></tr></tbody></table></ul></div><p><strong>After a Radiological Dispersion Device
(RDD) Event</strong></p><p>After finding safe shelter, those who
may have been exposed to radioactive material should decontaminate themselves.
To do this, remove and bag your clothing (and isolate the bag away from
you and others), and shower thoroughly with soap and water. Seek medical
attention after officials indicate it is safe to leave shelter.</p><p>Contamination from an RDD event could
affect a wide area, depending on the amount of conventional explosives
used, the quantity and type of radioactive material released, and meteorological
conditions. Thus, radiation dissipation rates vary, but radiation from
an RDD will likely take longer to dissipate due to a potentially larger
localized concentration of radioactive material.</p><p><strong><em>Follow these additional guidelines
after an RDD event:</em></strong></p><ul><li>Continue listening to your
radio or watch the television for instructions from local officials,
whether you have evacuated or sheltered-in-place.</li><li>Do not return to or visit
an RDD incident location for any reason.</li></ul><p><strong>Recovering from Disaster</strong></p><p>Recovering from a disaster is usually
a gradual process. Safety is a primary issue, as are mental and physical
well-being. If assistance is available, knowing how to access it makes
the process faster and less stressful. This section offers some general
advice on steps to take after disaster strikes in order to begin getting
your home, your community, and your life back to normal.</p><h1><strong><em>Ensure your safety</em></strong></h1><p>Your first concern after a disaster is
your family’s health and safety. You need to consider possible safety
issues and monitor family health and well-being.</p><h2><strong><em>Aiding the Injured</em></strong></h2><p>Check for injuries. Do not attempt to
move seriously injured persons unless they are in immediate danger of
death or further injury. If you must move an unconscious person, first
stabilize the neck and back, then call for help immediately.</p><ul><li>If the victim is not breathing,
carefully position the victim for artificial respiration, clear the
airway, and commence mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. </li><li>Maintain body temperature
with blankets. Be sure the victim does not become overheated. </li><li>Never try to feed liquids
to an unconscious person. </li></ul><h2><strong><em>Health</em></strong></h2><ul><li>Be aware of exhaustion. Don’t
try to do too much at once. Set priorities and pace yourself. Get enough
rest. </li><li>Drink plenty of clean water..
Eat well.. Wear sturdy work boots and gloves. </li><li>Wash your hands thoroughly
with soap and clean water often when working in debris. </li></ul><h2><strong><em>Safety Issues</em></strong></h2><ul><li>Be aware of new safety issues
created by the disaster. Watch for washed out roads, contaminated buildings,
contaminated water, gas leaks, broken glass, damaged electrical wiring,
and slippery floors. </li><li>Inform local authorities about
health and safety issues, including chemical spills, downed power lines,
washed out roads, smoldering insulation, and dead animals. </li></ul>
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