|
NOTICE:
The International Emergency Management Society's Transportation Saftey and Security Workshop Janurary 28-29th 2003
|
Institute for Crisis, Disaster, and
Risk Management
Crisis and Emergency Management
|
NOTICE: The ICDRM's monthly emergency managment forum, held at the GWU. Next Forum: contact infor: |
| December 2002
Volume 3 - Number 3 |
|
Links:
Current events
|
A Right- and Left-Brained View of the Terrorism
Risk in the U.S.
By Charlotte Sullivan
I have been asked to present my “personal view of the terrorism risk.” I will bound the essay by discussing terror acts against U.S. citizens, living in the U.S. Just for fun, I have chosen to present this discussion two ways, using what I believe to be 1) a “Right-Brained” and 2) a “Left-Brained” thought process on the topic. For those who are Right-Brained, I will begin by saying that I am a very active person, so almost every day I get into my car and drive somewhere. When I do so, I don’t spend time thinking that I could be one of the more than 41,800 auto-related fatalities or three million who sustain injuries from such accidents (2000 figures, according to NTSB). And about twice a year I get into a plane and fly some place to get away from stress. In doing so, I am not contemplating the 762 passengers who were killed in U.S. Aviation accidents in 2000 – or 1,162 in 2001 (again, according to the NTSB). The same is true for when I get on a train to take a jaunt to New York (1,232 railroad- and transit-accident deaths in 2000), or hop on my sailboat for a cruise under the Bay Bridge (820 waterborne-related fatalities in 2000). I don’t think of such things because I have only limited control in preventing an injurious incident from occurring, but I do what I should: I don’t consume alcohol and then drive; I stay alert to what is occurring on the highway; I fasten my seatbelt when on a plane and sit down when the air becomes excessively turbulent; I hold the railings when moving between train cars; and I yield to other boaters on the Chesapeake Bay. Beyond that, I am at the mercy of others to be as reasonable and to care for my well-being equally. The same is essentially true for other aspects of my life: I look both ways before crossing the street, hide my valuables when in public, lock my doors at night, and don’t wander into dangerous areas after dark. In other words, I take responsibility for my life and make concerted – although often subconscious – efforts to be safe. And it seems to work. Oh, and I tend to stay away from inflated media hype that serves the purpose of simply making me afraid of my own shadow. So when discussing terrorism and the perceived risk in the U.S., I find these risks absolutely negligible compared to simply navigating everyday life. Now let’s look at this another way, using Left-Brained logic… On September 11, 2001, four planes departed from four different airports and crashed into three buildings and an open field. These planes contained 19 “terrorists” who were from foreign countries and did not support many of the United States’ beliefs and practices. On that same day in September, approximately 20,000 commercial planes departed from airports in the United States. Some of these planes were carrying more passengers than those that were hijacked; some less. But when all was done, .02% of the planes that departed that day – September 11, 2002 – were hijacked. Further, nearly 9 million commercial planes departed from U.S. airports in 2001. On September 11, 2001, .000046% of these planes were hijacked, killing less than .001% of the U.S. population that were in the air, in buildings, and on the ground. Staying in the left side off the brain, compare this number to the .016% of the U.S. population who were killed – or the 1.23% who were injured – in auto accidents alone just the year before, and the perspective changes even further. My point? Yes, there is a risk of terrorism in the U.S. The simple fact that our citizens have died from terrorist acts proves this to be true. However, this ongoing risk is not greater than everyday life, and permitting our media, the nation’s economy, even our parents and children, to throw our lives into perpetual fear over scenarios of “what may happen” is not rational. What is rational, is to expect those who are responsible for protecting our nation to do their job, and do it responsibly – both professionally and fiscally. U.S. citizens should expect these same people to be effective in mitigating the risk of terrorism, or we will ultimately bear the consequences of such inept mitigation strategies. We must be provided the protection we have been promised; otherwise, the risk of terrorism in this country may one day surpass the risk of merely taking a drive across town. |