Personal and Governmental Homeland Security

The most obvious terrorist threat is violence: Death, injuries and kidnappings occur during terrorist attacks. But there is an even greater threat that we sometimes lose sight of because of the violence — the threat to the social infrastructure.
 
Resources that could be used in other areas are spent on terrorist deterrents. People lose confidence in their government's ability to protect them. The stock markets plummet after a terrorist attack, as investors wonder if more attacks are forthcoming. Personal stress rises and daily routines are disrupted, which has its effect on the economy. These are the long-term goals of terrorism: To eat away at a country's safety and economic stability.

Shopping: Subtle Homeland Security

After the horrifying attacks of September 11, 2001, President G.W. Bush urged people to go shopping. The reason was twofold:
  • One, it gave people a sense of normalcy and took their minds off possible threats to a suddenly terrorism-conscious society.
  • The second reason was quite simple: Showing faith in the country's economy after a terrorist attack is essential. The terrorists didn't just attack people; they struck at the heart of the American economic community, with the intention of causing great damage to the national economy.
We can't all guard against nuclear weapons or anthrax, but we can all continue to spend our money — in the long term, it may be the most effective method of homeland security we can muster.

Personal Homeland Security

Calm and rational reactions to terror are the last thing terrorists want. Make sure that you have enough supplies to see yourself through a suspension in basic services. But panicking by purchasing gas masks or large quantities of antibiotics makes no sense at all.
 
It's fine to be scared; these are frightening times. It's not okay to let fear generate an "every man for himself" mentality. If that ever happens, the wildest dreams of terrorists worldwide will have come true.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

In November 2001 the Department of Homeland Security was established by executive order. Among the goals of the DHS, as outlined in the Homeland Security Act of 2002, are
  • to increase awareness of potential threats, vulnerabilities, and impacts
  • to prevent terrorism on US soil
  • to protect infrastructure, property and economy
  • to coordinate national disaster response
  • to assist in and speed disaster recovery.

In 2003, a plan to reorganize the structure of the DHS was announced. The plan is to create four directorates:

  • Border and Transportation Security
  • Emergency Preparedness and Response
  • Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection
  • Science and Technology.
The goal of this reorganization is to improve the coordination efforts and communication among all the different government security agencies.