Are we prepared?

For as long as I can remember, I have believed in the Boy Scout's Motto: "Be Prepared." But, are we prepared, as a nation, for the possibility of a terrorist attack?

Being prepared--Israeli agent's advice & warning.

From the report:

Aviv also was concerned about the high number of children here in America who were in preschool and kindergarten after 9/11, who were 'lost' without parents being able to pick them up, and about ours schools that had no plan in place to best care for the students until parents could get there. (In New York City, this was days, in some cases!)

He stresses the importance of having a plan, that's agreed upon within your family, to respond to in the event of a terroristic emergency. He urges parents to contact their children's schools and demand that the schools, too, develop plans of actions, as they do in Israel.

Does your family know what to do if you can't contact one another by phone? Where would you gather in an emergency? He says we should all have a plan that is easy enough for even our youngest children to remember and follow.

Aviv says that the U S. government has in force a plan that, in the event of another terrorist attack, will immediately cut-off EVERYONE's ability to use cell phones, blackberries, etc., as this is the preferred communication source used by terrorists and is often the way that their bombs are detonated. How will you communicate with your loved ones in the event you cannot speak? You need to have a plan.

That thought hit home with me! What would I do if I cannot call the kids school or if they cannot get in touch with me? Does the school have a plan for a serious emergency? What is that plan? I guess I am not prepared -- are you?