How to Survive the Latest Terror Threat

August 10, 2006 I spent the day writing, going out to coffee with a friend, and snuggling with the pets and my husband. It was a warm sun filled day….very quiet here in Hermiston. How to survive the latest terror threat was intermittently on my mind from early morning when the first news came on that a terror cell in London had been arrested.

I made coffee and curled up in the chair with Aldonza/Dulcinea (Aldonza when she is bad, Dulcinea when she is sweet). I watched wide eyed, breathless reporters and grim faced officials in both Britain and the United States discuss “the plot”, “the liquid explosive”, and the “takedown” until I had finished my second cup of coffee. Then I woke my husband to share the news. That’s one way to survive the latest terror plot. To put that sequence in perspective think of it like this: 

• Stick to your personal routine as closely as you can. I have to have my morning coffee or I am just not functional, so it makes sense that I make that time as near the usual morning routine as possible. I take my coffee with a long dose of thinking, a bit of news, some quiet talk to the cat and finish it with waking my husband. It’s how I prepare for the day. 

• Listen to all the information and follow any instructions given by the authorities. I listened to Fox and CNN and other news channels so I had a broad cross section of opinions and information. There were no specific instructions for my area which is rural, remote and isolated. No danger here as long as I do not intend to fly…..which I do not intend to do at this juncture. So the next thing was the elevated alert level. Ok, I am pretty sensitive to watching anything suspicious and I am not going to be next to any airports, train stations or even big cities for a while so I am ok on that score.