Issue: Volume XVIII
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Security Issues
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Medical Issues
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Travel Issues
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Current Regional Information
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From Assist America’s Case Files
Immediate Response Saves a Life |
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HOTELS AS TERRORIST TARGETS
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Overseas, it is very common to see armed security, police or military personnel standing guard or patrolling outside of hotels or in tourist areas. This is meant to serve as a deterrent to a wide range of criminals, but it should not be confused with effective security.
The press and security officials, when talking about terrorism, frequently use the terms "hard" and "soft" targets, but often do not offer definitions or guidance.
Hard targets are well defended sites and buildings, such as a nuclear power plant that has been "hardened" against a wide range of potential attacks. Soft targets, such as hotels and restaurants, have little to no security because patrons would not tolerate the inconveniences created by a serious security program.
Hard targets though, are not immune from attack. In Iraq, for example, most insurgent attacks are against police and military facilities. And, not all soft targets, which are limitless in number, are attractive targets, as the attack may not accomplish the terrorist’s goals.
So, in order to determine if a particular building or site is a potential terrorist target, it is essential to understand terrorist motivation. By reviewing past incidents, it is possible to assess the likelihood of a future attack against a particular site. Of particular interest are the sites attacked in the past, the groups claiming responsibility, the groups’ motivations, and the method of attack.
Given that hotels are generally soft targets, what is it that made the nightclub in Bali (12 October 2002) and the hotels in Sharm el-Sheikh (23 July 2005) attractive as targets? While both locations are popular international tourist destinations, neither is heavily visited by Americans. Neither site attacked was owned or frequented by Americans. However, both sites represented a foreign presence in areas in which the terrorists could operate without drawing particular attention to themselves or their actions. In both cases, the terrorists believed they had a divine imperative to kill non-Muslims in a Muslim country. A vehicle bomb is an attack methodology that has proven to be extremely effective to overcome weak perimeter security. Unlike most criminals who would like to escape after having committed a crime, a suicidal terrorist must be stopped before carrying out their attack. The sensational aspect of attacks also succeeds in drawing tremendous media attention, which is a key element of the terrorists’ motivation.
If you are planning to travel to a destination where you have questions about your security, contact SecurAssist at info@securassist.com for further information.
DRIVING ABROAD [Top Of Page]
When traveling abroad, many tourists will rent a vehicle to visit local sites. However, driving a vehicle in a foreign country can be confusing and potentially dangerous, especially since most Americans believe themselves to be the best drivers in the world.
Enrolling in a driver's training course is highly recommended as a quick and effective means of preparing for driving on foreign roads. Typically, most two- to three-day driving schools can provide a comprehensive overview of basic accident avoidance and proper braking techniques to drivers, as well as an introduction to vehicle dynamics – learning to understand vehicle response to driver input.
The generally increased speed of traffic, a lack of familiarity with local laws or, depending on the area, lack of rules of the road, inevitably places a higher risk premium for individuals driving in foreign countries. Additional training or driving experience above and beyond that which most drivers acquire on a daily basis in the U.S. is strongly suggested, particularly for those individuals that will be driving in very narrow city streets or in areas where the local populace is known to disregard vehicular laws. Individuals planning on driving abroad should research available statistics on vehicular accidents in the area in which they will be traveling. This will allow for some initial inference of what to expect of the driving environment and help determine the degree of additional training the individual may want to seek.
Once abroad, it would behoove the driver to explore the area in which he or she will be traveling during periods of light traffic, at least initially. This will allow for a sense of familiarization under easy conditions. There is little that is more aggravating, stressful and potentially dangerous than struggling to find one’s destination in an unfamiliar environment in the middle of heavy traffic. Compound the situation with the typical difficulties invariably encountered when one is traveling in a foreign country as a tourist and the risks increase dramatically. Drivers should prepare in advance, be it by enrolling in additional driving and accident avoidance training before leaving on vacation or conducting simple research on the driving environment in order to avoid the stress and potential problems of driving in a foreign country.
Contact SecurAssist at info@securassist.com for additional information and resources.
PROGRESS OF VACCINE AGAINST AVIAN FLU
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Much effort by many agencies around the world is going into preparing a vaccine against a possible avian flu, A(H5N1), pandemic. U.S. Government officials announced in early August that a vaccine that appeared to be effective against A(H5N1) had been formulated, however, the vaccine was still in its early stages of testing and would not be ready for public distribution for a while. Scientists are pleased to know that a vaccine now exists, although the next hurdle would be to find a way to mass produce it to stay the effects of a pandemic. Also, it is noted, the influenza virus itself could mutate to the point of rendering this vaccine ineffective.
Although there is urgency in preparing an effective vaccine, the A(H5N1) influenza strain has not yet mutated into a strain that is easily transmitted from human to human. This is allowing the medical community an undefined window of time in which to continue to develop the most effective and efficient form of vaccination. To date, all but a few of the 112 known cases of avian flu in humans have been transmitted via birds—chickens, ducks and other poultry. Various governments are stockpiling vaccine doses and anti-viral medication in anticipation of an outbreak. For instance, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has plans to stockpile enough for 20 million people, or approximately 7% of the population.
Government researchers and other scientists developed the vaccine, which is currently being produced by Sanofi-Aventis through is French vaccine company, Sanofi-Pasteur.
Sources and further reading:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2005-08-08-bird-flu_x.htm
http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/08/07/news/vaccine.php
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/newssearch.php?newsid=28446
FROM OUR FILES [Top Of Page]
Heart Attack in Tortula--Immediate Response Saves a Life
A thirty-six year old man vacationing with his wife near the Island of Tortula suddenly began to feel chest pains and shortness of breath. He visited the island hospital, however, it was not equipped in any way to handle his medical condition. Understandably panicked and scared, his wife contacted her employer who advised her to contact Assist America for assistance.
Assist America’s medical staff immediately contacted the patient’s treating physician and it was determined that the patient would need to be medically evacuated as soon as possible to Miami, Florida. Once in Miami, the participant underwent emergency cardiac surgery. Assist America continued to monitor his care and once he was ready to be discharged and was stable enough to fly home, Assist America repatriated him back to Minnesota with his wife as his non-medical escort. Assist America also made sure that wheelchair assistance was provided at both ends of the trip home.
Assist America arranged and paid for all of the assistance services it provided, saving this young couple from a large, unexpected and unbudgeted expense as well as saving the young man’s life.
Services rendered: Medical consultation and evaluation; Evacuation via private jet ambulance; Critical care monitoring; Medically supervised repatriation home.
LOCK YOUR LUGGAGE ONCE AGAIN [Top Of Page]
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has recently approved locks and built-in locking mechanisms for suitcases. This is good news for those travelers who, in order to comply with tightened airport security measures, had to leave their luggage unlocked. Due to heightened security, if a piece of luggage that needed to be inspected was locked, airport officials would simply break the lock. Now, if you use a TSA approved lock, you can lock your suitcase for your travels, however, if airport security needs to inspect your luggage, they can do so with a special key. A feature of this new locking mechanism is that if it is ever opened using the TSA key, a color-coded button or emblem will change from green to red. Only you can reset the color using your own key or combination. Also, as a matter of protocol, if the TSA opens your suitcase, they insert a slip of paper alerting you to this.
Even though no lock is completely fool-proof if someone really wants to get into your luggage, at least with this new mechanism in place, it will pose enough of an obstacle that a would-be thief would likely choose an easier target. Also, with the lock in place, luggage will not accidentally open during transit.
The two TSA approved brand names of locks are Travel Sentry & Safe Skies. Travel Sentry’s logo is an open diamond, while Safe Skies’ is a torch. The locks are sturdy, however, they are small enough to be discrete.
For more information about the locks and
other details regarding the liability of either the airline or TSA,
visit:
http://www.tsa.gov/public/display?content=0900051980082cb5
MAXIMIZING ON TIME ARRIVAL [Top Of Page]
Will you arrive on time? This year in particular, that is a good question. Earlier this month, the Transportation Department’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics issued a statement reporting that nearly one in five flights (17%) left airports late through June of this year. This translates into the worst year for on time departures since the year 2000. A delayed departure is defined as 15 minutes or more after the scheduled time.
Airlines try to make up for lost time by increasing the speed at which the planes fly, however, this still resulted in more than 1 in 5 flights arriving late, namely 22%.
As a traveler, is there anything you can do to improve your chances of arriving on time? In fact there is. Statistics show that the later the flight is scheduled in the day, the greater its chances of being delayed. This is especially true in summer and early fall when severe weather, such as thunderstorms, occurs. (For instance, close to 90% of flights that were scheduled to depart before 9am were on time in June of this year, while less than 60% arrived on time after 10pm according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.)
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) offers the following tips:
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Fly as early in the morning as you can
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Fly during non-peak days. . . Sundays, Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays can be particularly busy, as well as the specific hours of 4-7pm
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Fly direct if you can. . . if you need to make a plane change, try to connect through a secondary airport rather than a major hub
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Give yourself plenty of time to get to the airport, check in and go through security
The FAA also provides real-time information about delays, weather and other problems for traveling by air at www.fly.faa.gov.
Sources and further reading:
The New York Times, “Will the Flight be on time? It’s anybody’s guess,” Aug. 8, 2005, by Micheline Maynard
Federal Aviation Administration, Fact
Sheet, 2005 Summer Travel Outlook, July 12, 2005
U.S. Department of Transportation, July 28, 2005 report
For the latest, up-to-date information regarding key regions, click on the links below:
AFRICA [Top
Of Page]
For detailed information on the region or country specific data,
please follow the link to
Africa.
EAST ASIA & PACIFIC [Top
Of Page]
For detailed information on the region or country specific data,
please follow the link to
East Asia & Pacific.
EUROPE & EURASIA [Top
Of Page]
For detailed information on the region or country specific data,
please follow the link to
Europe & Eurasia.
NEAR EAST [Top
Of Page]
For detailed information on the region or country specific data,
please follow the link to
Near East.
SOUTH ASIA [Top
Of Page]
For detailed information on the region or country specific data,
please follow the link to
South Asia.
WESTERN HEMISPHERE [Top
Of Page]
For detailed information on the region or country specific data,
please follow the link to
Western Hemisphere.
For pre-trip information: Assist America members may directly access travel information via the Assist America website, www.assistamerica.com. Log in using your Assist America ID/Reference number.
Interested in learning more about Assist America? Please visit us at www.assistamerica.com. Tell a fellow traveler about the newsletter and show them how to subscribe online! Interested in having your organization becoming a member of Assist America? Please e-mail us at sales@assistamerica.com.
Resources used for the
Assist America / SecurAssist Traveler Newsletter include, but are not
limited to, the following:
The Centers for Disease Control
The World Health Organization
The American Society for Tropical Medicine and Health
Lonely Planet Health
The US Department of State
CNN World News
BBC World News
iJet/Pinkerton Intelligence Services
Members of Assist America may use these sites for information, keeping
in mind that they are not endorsed by Assist America, nor is Assist
America responsible for their content. The content of this edition of
AssistAlert is for informational purposes only and is not intended to
replace further investigation, common sense, sound judgment, and
personal observations. If you are planning travel, or are traveling in
or proximate to the locations identified in this newsletter, you are
encouraged to contact SecurAssist for additional information.