SANTA MONICA, Calif., Sept. 15, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- Responding to a heightened public concern about the threat of terrorism, the RAND Corporation announced today it is making available two pocket guides designed to arm individuals with the knowledge to identify and survive various types of unconventional terrorist attacks. The guides are based on strategies RAND first outlined in a report last year and include a single-sheet, foldable reference card and a downloadable personal digital assistant (PDA) program. The guides and the RAND report are available for free at RAND's Web site: http://www.rand.org/research_areas/terrorism/.
"We developed these survival guides to help quell widely-held misconceptions about unconventional terrorist attacks and provide the public with practical guidance at a time of heightened terrorism fears and uncertainty," said Lynn E. Davis, the principal author of "Individual Preparedness and Response to Chemical, Radiological, Nuclear and Biological Terrorist Attacks," the report on which the guides are based. "Our goal is to make this guidance accessible to more people and give them convenient, effective tools to protect themselves and their families in the event of an attack."
The guides focus on simple steps individuals can take to prepare for and respond to terrorist attacks with chemical, biological, radiological ("dirty bomb") and nuclear weapons. The guides contain both preparatory steps and specific response guidance. This includes what individuals will experience, what their goals should be, and what they should do during each type of attack.
Users will need Adobe's free Acrobat reader software to access the printable reference card and a Palm-based PDA to use the downloadable software.
The RAND report is available at better bookstores, from the National Book Network (800 462-6420), or directly from RAND (877 584-8642) or email orders@rand.org.
The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit research organization providing objective analysis and effective solutions that address the challenges facing the public and private sectors around the world. To sign up for RAND e-mail alerts: http://www.rand.org/publications/email.html