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Institute for Crisis, Disaster, and Risk Management Crisis and Emergency Management Newsletter Website |
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December
2006
Volume
11 - Number 3 |
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By Douglas Goodwin As I was sitting (and sometimes standing, jumping and cheering) watching college football this afternoon I was struck with a thought. Five years after 9/11, how has the world, or more specifically, the U.S., been changed by the terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qada? I remember a series of television commercials talking about how the terrorists wanted to change the world – then the picture changed to a street filled with U.S. flags. Of course, that was a commercial designed to bring the country together and inspire confidence. But how has the country changed? The first thing that comes to mind (again, I have been watching college football all day) is that terrorism probably isn’t at the forefront of peoples’ thoughts. If it were, would tens of thousands of people fill the country’s stadiums and arenas every week? I, for one, probably wouldn’t be there if I didn’t feel safe. So other than the initial cancellations that occurred immediately following the attacks, life goes on in the sporting world. There is greater debate over the current BCS format and whether Michigan rates a rematch with Ohio State in the BCS National Championship game than if 100% baggage screening is making our airports safer. (I personally think that Ohio State and Michigan are the two best teams in the country right now, so if the system is designed to give us a national champion, then a rematch is what is needed – USC is overrated). How else have things changed? Let’s run down a quick list – we now take our shoes off at the airport, have more restrictions on carry on bags and are aware of terrorist “no-fly” lists. Terms such as shelter-in-place are now common in our vocabulary. But have things really changed in our daily lives? Maybe this would be a good segment for Dave Letterman’s “man on the street” interviews. I would be willing to bet the majority of people would say they don’t give the terrorism threat more than a passing thought in their daily lives. What impact does this have for the general population? One may safely assume that the majority of American’s don’t fully grasp the task before us, or the magnitude of the problem with regards to keeping the public safe. A second problem is that of preparedness. Individuals and families, not fully understanding the potential difficulties that may arise from a terrorist attack, or other event of mass effect, typically are not prepared. Of course, the question is “What should we prepare for?” That is a question that would be best answered through another discussion. So, what is my bottom line assessment? For the general public, little has changed in how they conduct their day to day lives with respect to terrorism and other mass effect threats. That the majority of people act this way is in part due to their not looking for problems, and, as I would like to believe, that the government has done a good job at protecting us from future attacks. Of course, reliance on the government to thwart any future attack is not enough to ensure our safety. Individuals must prepare as well to ensure that our lives truly aren’t changed by terrorism. |