Expert's View
Secretary of Homeland Security
Tom Ridge on Preparedness

From a speech delivered at the
Public Preparedness Symposium
July 20, 2004.

It’s striking how much emergency preparedness has changed through the years. We’ve all witnessed an incredible evolution of our nation’s resources and dramatic increases and improvements in the tools available to us. We have equipment that can detect the presence of a bomb, sensors that can pick up trace amounts of biological agents, storm tracking systems that give us precious warning and preparation time….

Our history as Americans has been marked by citizens ever ready to lend a hand and answer the call of those in need. The spirit displayed so prominently in the wake of 9/11 can be our most powerful tool in the fight against terrorism, and I think it’s up to all of us to harness that power, focus that energy and effectively use that tool to make preparedness part of the daily lives of Americans.

It’s interesting. If you ask people in south Florida or the Outer Banks of North Carolina about preparedness, they already know about buying supplies, keeping extra batteries handy and even having a hurricane evacuation route planned….

If you ask the people in Northern California about preparedness, many of them know exactly what to do if an earthquake begins or a fire threatens their home. Chances are perhaps remote, but they’re not going to take a chance. They are prepared….

If you ask people in Oklahoma or Kansas about preparedness, they already know how to stay away from windows or head for the basement or other low areas to avoid tornadoes….

Well, that’s the kind of reflective response that we want people to reflect on, the need to do it, get it done, and then just respond when they have to without thinking about it.

Preparedness is already part of the daily lives of so many Americans, and we must apply these principles to the threat of terrorism as well. Like natural disasters, terrorists strike indiscriminately, without regard for innocent lives, and often with devastating results.

And the Department of Homeland Security—and this has got to be the key of our preparedness efforts as well, is an all-hazards agency—we’re an all-hazards agency…. We have to be prepared for them, and we must continue to educate the public about the importance of being prepared for all emergencies, whether they’re wrought by design or disaster.

Fortunately,…it is our view there is a willingness on the part of Americans to take on this responsibility….

But until every community has prepared for a potential attack, until every business has an evacuation or shelter in place plan, until every school child knows what to do in an emergency and mom and dad know what they’re going to do in an emergency, and until every American is ready, we still have more work to do. And I’m confident that when we face these challenges together, we can get it done.