What color is your alert? - Howard Kurtz has a run-down of the self-reinforcing media-public hysteria over the terror alert. I think it's a fair question to ask what got everyone so excited. The way I figure it, some critics were charging that the homeland security honchos we not giving out any useful advice about what to do when the threat level gets elevated. That led the said honchos to issue (or perhaps, point out already-issued) guidelines. Now, most of those guidelines were very simple precautions that make a lot of sense for any emergency. The whole thing runs for pages, but the media all seized on the one paragraph having to do with "sheltering in place" by creating a temporary safe room -- advice I have already discussed here.

Last night Jamie and I met up with our friends Tim and Pete. Pete is a new Capitol Hill staffer, and apparently he has been given the job of emergency contact in his Congresswoman's office. That is, if there is an alert or an evacuation, he gets notified and he's supposed to make sure the good lady gets to safety. He told me how they had recently had drills to train on the use of their escape hoods, and had a briefing on other security measures. Apparently, they are so concerned up there on the Hill that the security officials had considered calling it a red alert, not just orange. They also encouraged staffers and representatives to leave town for the weekend if they didn't have pressing business in Washington. Boy that all makes me feel good.

This morning I was chatting online with Kevin, another Hill acquaintance. He found the whole thing a lilttle silly and decreed that no one should be "hiding in their basement covered in duct tape and plastic." That's easy to say when you have an entire police force whose job is to be concerned for your welfare 24 hours a day. Besides, this week's alert has been a good exercise in thinking about what to do, just in case. While the chance of dying is very remote, the chance of being caught in the chaotic aftermath is much greater, and I'd like to think I can prepare for chaos. It was an appropriate step for authorities to get people to start thinking about that, no different than if it were a hurricane.

While you may not be able to predict what irrational hate-mongering terrorists are going to do, but you can predict what a panicked public would do in response to those actions. There's plenty good reason to approach this thing with prudence rather than non-chalance. So while I haven't bought any duct tape (not because of terrorists, anyway), Jamie and I have taken the following steps: (1) We talked it over and figured out an out-of-town contact we should both call if we cant get in touch with each other. (2) We decided where we would meet if we have to leave our work/home separately. (3) We laid in a few supplies so as not to need to go out, even if the power and water wasnt working. Now all I need to get is a good, cheap battery-powered radio. I'm not sure my iRiver SlimX-350 really qualifies.