How to Psychologically Prepare for a Terrorist Attack

The first thing you'll need to be able to cope with in the event of a terrorist attack is fear.

Fear can diminish your ability to react in the appropriate way.

The best way to make sure that fear won’t compromise your family’s safety in the event of a terrorist attack is to prepare yourself, so that you’ll be fully ready to react when the time comes.

Preparing yourself first means overcoming your own fear of the unknown.

Proper mental preparation will greatly increase your chances of survival because you will be able to take immediate protective measures in a rational and confident manner.

A widespread contagious disease would be a hugely traumatic event, which can be very difficult to cope with on any level.

You need to discuss with your family the impacts such a situation would have on your lives, and on the world around you. Talking about such a theoretical event may be difficult, but if a tragedy were ever to occur, those discussions would be of huge benefit to you all - especially your children. Kids need to be given the opportunity to express their fears and ask questions.

The possible impacts of a biological terrorist attack are numerous.

Here is a list of subjects that can be raised in a family discussion to help everyone to be prepared:

The practical issues related to a terrorist attack

• Accepting the change in habits (for everyone) that such a situation would lead to - whether short-term or long-term.

• Coping with the difficulty of living together 24 hours a day if forced to.

• Dealing with issues like personal hygiene and waste handling.

• Coping with extreme weather (even if you are sheltered in your home, you may find yourself without electricity or the means to stay warm).

• How to deal with issues like food, cooking, and the inevitable change in normal eating habits.

• Learning to cope in the event that you are cut off from communicating with the rest of the world.

The psychological impact of a terrorist attack

• Coping with the concepts of death, injury and illness. Not only to yourselves, but also to friends, family, neighbors, and so on. This may be particularly difficult for your children.

• Dealing with the worry and uncertainty about the well-being of your friends, family or loved ones.

• Worrying about the way the crisis will evolve: your helplessness in face of the events, the need to trust governments to react to the terrorist attack and solve the crisis, the worry that things will get worse, and so on.

• Accepting that everyone will have to contribute to the survival effort which may mean having to do things that you wouldn't otherwise do.

Depending on the nature of the terrorist attack, you may be forced to deal with any or all of the following...

• Coping with contamination of the water supply.

• Coping with contamination of the air.

• Coping with contamination of the ground.

• Coping with economic consequences.

• Coping with electricity or communications failure.