2009 Perspective on Future Terrorist Attacks

    

 

Around the world, many have wondered what the terrorist will strike next after the Mumbai incident. Fox News Contributor and Terrorist Expert, Doctor Walid Phares, expressed his opinions on future attacks and the logic behind these attacks on the website, http://foxforum.blogs.foxnews.com/2008/12/04/wphares_mumbai. Phares gives the readers’ three reasons for an increase in terrorist attacks. His first reason expressed that “Urban Jihad is Open for Business” (Foxforum.blogs.foxnews.com). This statement is used to express Phares belief in the future of “Urban Jihad” that will be used to instill shock and paralyzing terror into public spectators by seizing part of a city or neighborhood unexpectedly. He feels that Mumbai was used to initiate an increase in these types of attacks. His second reason was sort of vague, if you’re not from India or it was to me. The second reason for an increase in terrorist attacks was to initiate “Real Jihadi Claims Beyond Kashmir” (Foxforum.blogs.foxnews.com). This expression was used to create a connection between past attacks on Kashmir to the  recent attack on Mumbai. Dr. Phares explained that the Taliban’s goal here is to inhabit half of India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan (Foxforum.blogs.foxnews.com). Phares continued to explain the logic behind this movement as the Taliban’s way to create a Caliphate. You may ask yourself, “What the heck is a Caliphate?”. That’s a question I had to research for myself. According to encarta.msn.com, “a caliphate is a office and realm of the caliph as supreme leader of the Muslim community and successor of the prophet Muhammed” (http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761575871/Caliphate.html). Anyway, moving on towards our reason number three, for an increase in future terrorist attacks includes: “Trans-Regional Forces Trump Local Forces” (Foxforum.blogs.foxnews.com). Phares feels that the attackers involved in the Mumbai incident were supported by a “Pakistan-based Laskar e Taiba, the Indian Mujahideen, Taliban or better known as Al Qaeda” (Foxforum.blogs.foxnews.com). He also states that four of these groups were actually part of one web. I’m guessing that a web is larger than a cell, so maybe his version of four groups is four separate cells. If anyone knows, feel free to contribute to this explanation of a terrorist web. The web that Phares is referring to spreads from Kabul to Mumbai. He elaborates more on the coordination of the attacks, but you can read the article for more insight. The threat that concerns Phares is that three south Asian democracies are all targets of the same enemy, appearing  to the targets or victims as being  multiple enemies (Foxforum.blogs.foxnews.com). There was also a mentioning of a fourth reason for an increase in terrorist attacks, but I forgot to include this in the beginning statement. I can sum up Phares fourth reason by stating that Afghanistan, the U.S., and NATO forces will be involved in another police action/war, in the near future. To sum this all up, Phares explains that Mumbai and future attacks will be “designed to break down precarious relations between the three south Asian democracies in the region and to weaken the efforts promised by President Obama against Al Qaeda and its regional allies in 2009″ (Foxforum.blogs.foxnews.com). I wasn’t really sure who Dr. Walid Phares was, in the beginning of this article, other than who Fox News claimed that he was. I discovered that Dr. Walid Phares is the Director of the Future Terrorism Project at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies and he is the author of “The Confrontation: Winning the War Against the Future Jihad”. I enjoyed reading the article. If your interested in military history or counterterrorism efforts this would be an interesting article to read. Happy Reading!

Goodbye 2008, Hello 2009

Well, I had good intentions all month to create another post that could possibly cover all of 2008’s data, related to disasters and terrorism, but I didn’t pull this feat off yet. I will do a recap of 2008 sometime this week. The month of December is one of our most demanding months of the year and with this thought, I decided to lighten my load of “things to do”. I slowed down and focused on family…like my 86 year old grandmother, my mom & dad, my quirky sister and her two adorable kids. I’ve spent the last three days playing with my niece and nephew, while my sister and her husband  recovered from the flu. It’s been a blast and worth every minute of it. I guess the biggest lesson that one can learn from all of the disasters combined is:

“LIFE IS SHORT & PRECIOUS, SO ENJOY EVERY MINUTE OF IT”

Have a Happy New Year!   thedisasterhwy

Mumbai Attacks

These photos were available on the first web search I attempted. Guess which news media carrier these photos came from. I was shocked myself; however, I decided to use them because they capture the situation rather well. I did not notice any propaganda in the news coverage, in the English version. The media carrier was Aljazeera. Both of these photos were found on the following website:

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2008/11/2008.html.

Another holiday focused terrorist attack occurred in Mumbai, India. The attacks began on the 26th of November and ended three days later. The death toll was over 180 and over 200 were injured. I had stated, in a past post, that the number of survivors should be captured among statistics. This was such a large citywide attack that it’s almost impossible to gage the number of survivors. I would like to assume that over 20,000 people survived, but I have no data at this time. The target of these attacks were American and British citizens, nothing new I suppose. Wouldn’t it be weird to hear that terrorists were searching out the Swedes and Canadians….just a warped sense of humor here, no one should be the target of terrorist attacks. Terrorist are seeking a political change, by using innocent civilians as leverage. They believe that if they terrorize governments through innocent civilians, then the governments will give in to their demands. In other words, they are over grown bullies. We are all tired of them…however, they never seem stop amazing us with their bizarre and horrific actions. I stayed glued to the T.V. on Thanksgiving, watching the horror unfold.  After I had heard enough, I decided it would be best to not watch the rest of the minute to minute coverage on a family holiday. It’s a sad tragedy. I don’t even think this particular terrorist attack accomplished any political gain whatsoever.

Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam

 

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Sri Lankan government have been fighting this week, in an effort to disband the LTTE rebels. After reading the story on the www.terrorism.com website, I decided to do a little more background research on the LTTE. They are mentioned a few times in terrorism training courses, but they have not been very active in the news until this past year.

The LTTE was formed by Velupillai Prabhakaran, in the 1970s. Their mission is to create a separate socialist government from that of Sri Lanka. They would like to maintain areas in the North and East of Sri Lanka. This area use to be known as Ceylon, until Sri Lanka took control.

Their current status is that of a terrorist group. They are labeled as terrorist by 31 countries, today. Their primary criminal activities include: credit fraud, piracy by sea, and arms smuggling. They have also been well known for their human rights violations over the past 30 +/- years. Some of these violations include: suicide bombing, attacks on civilians, and assassinations.

A few countries have supported the LTTE over the years. Norway assisted in their truce with Sri Lanka, until it dissolved recently. Fighting broke out between the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE this January. As a result, there have been 7553 LTTE rebels killed. This week, the fighting death toll was 37 LTTE rebels and 6 Sri Lankan soldiers.

There were some great websites that I retreived this information from and they were:

http://www.eelam.com, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamil_Tigers, and http://www.terrorism.com.

L.A. Train Wreck Update

Photo from the L.A. Times

The L.A. train wreck, that occured on Sept. 12, 2008, was thought to have been carrying 350 passengers. There were 135 people reported injured, 25 reported dead, and after doing the math, I have determined that there were 215 survivors. I’m collecting my data from the L.A. Times.

They finally determined that the Metrolink Engineer, Mr. Sanchez, had completed a text message 22 seconds before the collision with the freight train. The media makes this man sound like he was so irresponsible for using the cell phone, while conducting his train. He is no different than the boyfriend or husband you are texting ladies. It should make you stop and think to PAUSE, before you do this during someone’s working hours. Mr. Sanchez had placed 29 texts, during this day. This is also for the guys out there who love to text or call their girlfriends and wives. It’s a sad reality, but it could have been any one of us and this will happen again, until they produce a law to enforce the limitation of usage of cell phones. We have all been guilty of doing this, at some point and time in our daily routine. Let’s stop our dependency on cell phones, especially during our working hours. It’s a simple safety measure. It’s like the old sloggan for “don’t do drugs”…”JUST SAY NO”. The next time you’re driving, operating heavy equipment, or at work taking care of someone or something…don’t pick up the cell phone when it rings. “JUST SAY NO”, figuratively. This is what we all have voicemail for, right. Just some thoughts to ponder and embrace.

“Buried Treasure” Uncovered After Hurricane Ike

I have often wondered why the positive side of disasters are not announced along with the negative. We all know that human nature is curious about death and destruction caused from disasters. This is why our media is overly focused on the negative. In the future, I would like to have the time to add the number of survivors, along with those lost during disasters. That is something that definantly needs to be added in my posts.

In the meantime, I have found a positive article from the aftermath of Hurricane Camille and Ike. Both hurricanes have helped to uncover “buried treasure”, so to speak. The wreckage of an old 150 foot boat was found on the shores of Fort Morgan Beach, AL, on Sept. 15, 2008. The locals noted this wrecked ship after Hurricane Camille, but Hurricane Ike provided more shore erosion damage and therefore, revealed more of the lost ship.  To read this article please click on this link:  http://www.orangebeach.ws/2008/News/2008-09-15-Hurricane_Ike_reveals_Mystery_Civil_War_Ship.html.

Los Angeles Train Wreck

 

This is a picture of the initial response made by LA Firefighters, after a commuter train collided with a freight train, on Friday. A link to this story by the LA Times is: www.latimes.com.

This picture was also available on the LA Times website. I thought that this picture really captured the magnitude of using heavy of equipment and establishing an area of operations, for emergency managers.

As you read the article provided by the LA Times, you will learn that there are 17 dead and 135 injured, from this accident. They are blaming the collision on the driver or conductor’s error, for not seeing the red light.

Galveston, TX After Hurricane Ike

This image was provided in the NY Times this morning. Hurricane Ike left quite a mess. Galveston endured winds around 100 miles per hour and seas that rose between 11 to 15 feet. Windows were blown out of city skyscrapers and fires were initiated by flying debris that hit power lines. The city is expected to be without power for over two weeks, and so far, the death toll is 4.

The NY Times stated that over 2 million people evacuated from TX and LA, but 100,000 refused to evacuate.  It is thought that 20,000 of the 100,000 people that refused to evacuate, lived in the Galveston area. This number leaves rescue workers continually searching for the unknown in flooded areas and areas harboring piles of debris.

Gas prices are expected to stay elevated until the refineries reopen this week. There is good news though; the refineries were not damaged in the storm. This financial burden should be over shortly.

President Bush declared 29 counties in TX,  as disaster areas that require federal assistance. For more information on damage assistance or applications for federal assistance check out: www.fema.gov.

To read the NY Times articles on Hurricane Ike check out: www.nytimes.com.

Hurricane Ike

 

 

This is a satellite image of Hurricane Ike as it travels across the Gulf. This guy has been traveling for a long time…lol. I thought we had already missed this one, but I was wrong. I guess I’ve been distracted with my new graduate classes. Alabama totally missed the destruction of Hurricane Hanna and my unit did not have to deploy anywhere, as of yet. Hopefully, these storms will quietly fade out. In the mean time here are some websites that you can use to get more updates on the storms: www.fema.gov and www.noaa.gov. thedisasterhwy.     

 

 

 

Hurricane Recovery Tips from FEMA

This post is taken from the FEMA website. It is a list of tips for victims of Hurricane Fay and I think it will be helpful in future hurricane assistance, for others. thedisasterhwy

“Federal Coordinating Officer Tom Davies of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and State Coordinating Officer Craig Fugate, Director of the State Emergency Response Team (SERT), offered recovery tips and strategies for individuals facing new post-disaster realities:

• Don’t wait. Contact your insurance agent as soon as possible. The greatest financial funding for individuals and households in this disaster probably will come from National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) coverage. Nearly 2.2 million Florida homeowners and renters currently are covered by NFIP policies;
• Register with FEMA even if you are insured. Once you are enrolled, you retain the option of possible state-federal help, especially if you are underinsured;
• There is no magic wand to make things right. Government disaster assistance covers basic needs only and normally will not compensate individuals for their entire loss;
• A low-cost disaster loan from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is a major source of recovery funding. If you receive a disaster loan application from the SBA it must be completed and returned. You will not be forced to take a loan you don’t want, but the information on the application is needed to determine eligibility for possible other federal assistance;
• The recovery process is designed to be responsive to individual and household needs. The state and FEMA place Disaster Recovery Centers (DRCs) in hard-hit communities so recovery specialists can talk directly with storm survivors to answer questions and provide disaster information. It helps to register with FEMA before visiting a disaster recovery center and to bring relevant paperwork whenever possible;
• Stay in touch with FEMA by visiting a DRC or selecting the FEMA Hotline option at FEMA’s tele-registration lines. The Helpline allows registered applicants to update contact information, re-schedule damage inspections or track the progress of their assistance application; and
• Disaster recovery takes time. Disasters are major disruptive events, and it helps to have realistic expectations of what can be done and how long it takes.

Disaster registration takes about 20 minutes by calling 800-621-FEMA (3362) or 800-462-7585 (TTY) for the hearing or speech impaired. Current FEMA Helpline hours are 8 a.m. to midnight, seven days a week with multi-lingual operators available. Online registration is available at www.fema.gov.

FEMA coordinates the federal government’s role in preparing for, preventing, mitigating the effects of, responding to, and recovering from all domestic disasters, whether natural or man-made, including acts of terror.

Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency or economic status.  If you or someone you know has been discriminated against, call FEMA toll-free at 800-621-FEMA (3362). For TTY call 800-462-7585.

SBA’s disaster loans are the primary form of federal assistance for non-farm, private sector disaster losses. Disaster loans from SBA helps homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes and nonprofit organizations fund repair and replacement of disaster damaged real and personal property.  These disaster loans cover uninsured and uncompensated losses and do not duplicate benefits of other agencies or organizations. For information about SBA programs, applicants may call 800-659-2955 or visit online at www.sba.gov or email SBA’s customer service center at disastercustomerservice@sba.gov. ” http://www.fema.gov.

For help applying for federal assistance check out this website: http://www.fema.gov/assistance/index.shtm.