Q: What can I do to prepare for terrorism?

You can prepare by being ready for any disaster, such as an earthquake or flood. Develop a home emergency plan and put together your own emergency/disaster kit. This kit should include food, water and supplies needed for three to five days. Discuss this plan with everybody in your family.

Q: Is it safe for me to drink water from the tap?

It would be extremely difficult for a bioterrorist to contaminate our drinking water supplies to cause widespread illness. Water treatment facilities routinely filter the water before it reaches your home. In addition, our main water supply, the 150-mile-long Hetch Hetchy system, would require quantities too large to overcome diluting. Our reservoirs will also require quantities too great to be effective once it has been processed through the filtration system.

Q: If I was vaccinated against smallpox before 1980, am I still protected?

Probably not. If health authorities determine that you have been exposed to smallpox or are at risk of infection, they would recommend that you be re-vaccinated immediately.

Q: What are biological weapons?

Biological weapons are any infectious agent such as a bacteria or virus when used intentionally to inflict harm upon others.

Q: Should I buy a gas mask?

No. According to the Center for Disease Control and Johns Hopkins University, purchasing a gas mask is not recommended. A mask would only protect you if you were wearing it at the exact moment a bioterrorist attack occurred. Unfortunately, a release of a biological agent is most likely to be done covertly– that is, without anyone knowing it. That means you would not know ahead of time to put on your mask. To wear a mask continuously or just in case– a bioterrorist attack occurs, is impractical, if not impossible.

Q: In a disaster, if telephones and cellular phones are knocked out, how will the City get emergency information out to the public? How can people make calls for police or an ambulance or fire truck? Would there be a nearby place to go to request such help, or should we go down to City Hall?

If phone communications is compromised during a disaster there is still several means of sending and receiving valuable emergency information. To get this information out to the public, we will use radio and television broadcasts. For radio, tune to kcbs 740am and/or kzsu 90.1fm. For television, tune to your local news channels, as well as our messages scrolling on the local government station, channel 26. For those who have wireless internet access, information will also be displayed on the City's website emergency page at www.pafd.org/emergency/index.html To report emergencies, go to your nearest fire station.

If the fire personnel are not in quarters, during a disaster, amateur radio operators are assigned to every fire station, hospitals and schools during school hours. Once they arrive, they can communicate directly to the radio operator assigned to the Emergency Operations Center in City Hall. The fire stations in Palo Alto are located at:

Fire Station No. 1 at 301 Alma St.
Fire Station No. 2 at 2675 Hanover St.
Fire Station No. 3 at 799 Embarcadero Rd.
Fire Station No. 4 at 3600 Middlefield Rd.
Fire Station No. 5 at 600 Arastradero Rd.
Fire Station No. 6 at 711 Serra Rd. (Stanford Campus)
Fire Station No. 7 at 2575 Sandhill Rd. (Stanford Linear Accelerator Center)
Fire Station No. 8 (seasonal) at 3300 Pagemill Rd. (Foothill Park)

Q: Are there enough medical supplies to treat a large group of effected people?

The National Pharmaceutical Stockpile (NPS) is a large reserve of antibiotics, chemical antidotes and other medical supplies set aside for emergencies. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) reports that it has the capacity to move these stockpiled materials to affected areas in the U.S. within 12 hours of notification. There are a number of different stockpiles, strategically located around the country. In addition to the medical supplies already set aside, the federal government has made agreements with drug manufacturers to make large amounts of additional emergency medicine.

Q: What if my fear about bioterrorism is having a serious impact on my family and work life?

Johns Hopkins University authorities recognize that given the attacks upon civilians that took place on September 11, it is reasonable for citizens to feel anxious about their personal safety.

Should your fear get to the point that it stops you from doing the things you would normally do in a day, it might be helpful to talk to someone. Your health care provider can make a referral if you do not have someone in mind. In the wake of the attack on New York City, we have learned how helpful it has been to many New Yorkers to speak with a counselor or go to a mental health center. The following questions and answers about anthrax are provided courtesy of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia.

Q: Where can I go to volunteer my help?

Volunteers are a very important resource during a disaster. They participate in all phases of emergency management, mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. Additionally, they serve a great purpose during emergencies and day-to-day operations. We work with volunteers ranging from amateur radio operators and PANDA members to local church groups. To find out more about how you can help, contact the Palo Alto American Red Cross at (650) 688-0415, The Volunteer Exchange at (650) 965-2426, and the Salvation Army at (415) 553-3500. All of these organizations offer classes and programs for volunteers.

Q: Have there been any confirmed cases of Anthrax disease locally since the threat began?

To date, there has been no confirmed Anthrax disease reported in Palo Alto, the Bay Area, or California. The reported cases have been centered along the East Coast in New Jersey, New York, Florida, and Washington D.C. Those who were targeted appear to be in high-profile positions. While we are maintaining vigilance, let's not rush to judgement and remember to use common sense and best practices when assessing the need to report suspicious articles.

Q: Where can I call if I want some additional information on Anthrax, Anthrax handling or general emergency preparedness?

The State of California Office of Emergency Services has established a Safety Information and Referral Line' - 1-800-550-5234 - which will provide Californians with recorded non-emergency anthrax-related information and referrals from information technicians between 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. Individuals with hearing impairments can obtain information via the toll-free TTY line - 1-800-550-5281. Emergency preparedness information can be obtained locally at the Palo Alto Office of Emergency Services 617-3197.

Q: Are the schools prepared to deal with a disaster?

The Palo Alto Unified School District has a multi-hazard comprehensive emergency plan. School sites have caches of emergency supplies, communications and trained personnel. When a disaster strikes crisis teams and/or a command center is activated to coordinate efforts of response and recovery. Amateur radio operators are assigned to every school site to assist with the communications between the schools; city emergency operations center and the school headquarter command center. Duck, cover and hold drills are exercised, as are fire drills. Police have been working with the school district extensively on developing the guidelines for a "Crisis Response" manual. Instructional memos and additional training is planned for the near future.

Q: What should I know about smallpox?

Smallpox. According to the Center for Disease Control, vaccination is not recommended, and the vaccine is not available to health providers or the public. In the absence of a confirmed case of smallpox anywhere in the world, there is no need to be vaccinated against smallpox. There also can be severe side effects to the smallpox vaccine, which is another reason we do not recommend vaccination. In the event of an outbreak, the CDC has clear guidelines to swiftly provide vaccine to people exposed to this disease. The vaccine is securely stored for use in the case of an outbreak. In addition, Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson recently announced plans to accelerate production of a new smallpox vaccine.

Q: What should I know about anthrax?

Anthrax. Our course of action for preventing anthrax after exposure in the civilian population would be with antibiotics. Vaccination is not recommended, and the vaccine is not available to health care providers or the general public. We do not recommend that physicians prescribe antibiotics for anthrax at this time. We currently have enough antibiotics to prevent the disease in 2 million persons exposed to anthrax, therefore we could rapidly get preventive medicine to those who may be affected by this disease, which cannot be transmitted between people.

Q: What are the symptoms of anthrax?

They vary depending on how the disease was contracted, but symptoms usually occur within seven days.

Cutaneous: About 95 percent of anthrax infections occur when the bacterium enters a cut or abrasion on the skin, such as when handling contaminated wool, hides, leather or hair products of infected animals. It begins as a raised itchy bump that resembles an insect bite, but soon turns into a painless ulcer, usually one to three centimeters in diameter, usually with a black center in the middle. Lymph glands in the adjacent area may swell. About 20 percent of untreated cases result in death. The employee at NBC who contracted anthrax has cutaneous anthrax.

Inhalation: Initial symptoms may resemble a common cold, but lead to severe breathing problems and shock after several days. Inhalation anthrax is usually fatal. An employee of a Florida tabloid publishing company contracted inhalation anthrax and died.

Intestinal: This form of anthrax may follow the consumption of contaminated meat and is characterized by an acute inflammation of the intestinal tract. Initial signs include nausea, loss of appetite, vomiting and fever, followed by abdominal pain, vomiting blood and severe diarrhea. Between 25 percent and 60 percent of cases are fatal.