Man-Made Disaster
In the event of a nuclear, chemical, or explosive attack, it is best to follow the American Emergency Notification's Key Areas of a Business Continuity Plan. The first and most important thing to consider is safety - if an attack were to occur during business hours, shelter and resources should be provided for employees who may not be able to go home. If an attack occurs outside of working hours, a decision must be made and communicated to employees as to whether or not it is safe for them to come to work. Different types of attacks may include:
NUCLEAR DETONANTION
CHEMICAL ATTACK
EXPLOSIVE ATTACK
CYBER ATTACK
We are at risk. America depends on computers. They control power delivery, communications, aviation, and financial services. They are used to store vital information, from medical records to business plans, to criminal records. Although we trust them, they are vulnerable -- to the effects of poor design and insufficient quality control, to accident, and perhaps most alarmingly, to deliberate attack. The modern thief can steal more with a computer than with a gun. Tomorrow's terrorist may be able to do more damage with a keyboard than with a bomb.""Computers at Risk", National Research Council, 1991
http://usinfo.state.gov/journals/itps/1198/ijpe/pj48min.htm
RADIOLOGICAL ATTACK
A radiological attack is the spreading of radioactive material with the intent to do harm. Radioactive materials are used every day in laboratories, medical centers, food irradiation plants, and for industrial uses. If stolen or otherwise acquired, many of these materials could be used in a "radiological dispersal device" (RDD). It is very difficult to design an RDD that would deliver radiation doses high enough to cause immediate health effects or fatalities in a large number of people. Therefore, experts generally agree that an RDD would most likely be used to:
- contaminate facilities or places where people live and work, disrupting lives and livelihoods.
- cause anxiety in those who think they are being, or have been, exposed.
"Emergency Planning Resources"
http://www.bumc.bu.edu/Dept/Content.aspx?DepartmentID=381&PageID=9519
