New Threat Levels Considered

The much maligned Bush era multi-color threat level system may be on its way out. According to the DHS website the threat level yoyos between yellow and orange most of the time and on rare occasions pops up to the red level for brief stints. Personally I believe the various threat levels were of absolutely no value to all but the military and first responders. I’ve always wondered what we the people were supposed to do differently as threat levels changed. If I witnessed a couple guys loading fertilizer and diesel fuel into the back of a rental truck I’d call the police regardless of the threat level. As a reminder the levels are:

Low: Green
•A green terror-threat level indicates that there is a low risk of terror attacks. The terror alert level has never been dropped this low.

Guarded: Blue
• level indicates that there is a general risk of terroristic activities. American citizens should remain aware that terrorism is a real possibility, but need not worry about imminent attacks.

Elevated: Yellow
•A yellow alert level represents a significant terror risk; citizens are to remain vigilant and work to reduce the risk of terror attacks by alerting authorities to any suspicious activities they may encounter during their daily activities.

High: Orange
•An orange level indicates that the Department of Homeland Security has reason to believe that a terrorist attack may soon be perpetrated on American soil. Citizens should remain attentive and await further instruction from local authorities. They should also prepare to respond to terrorist attack and ensure that they and their families have a plan to respond to such an emergency.

Severe: Red
•A red terrorism alert level signifies either that the Department of Homeland Security has very specific intelligence related to an attack or that we are currently under attack. Citizens are should avoid public places that may be potential terrorism targets and remain aware of their surroundings to ensure that they don’t inadvertently encounter a potentially dangerous situation. This level is intended to be used during short periods of time when terrorism is imminent, and not as a normal status level on a day-to-day basis.

paraphrased from: http://www.ehow.com/list_6979697_thr…ls-colors.html

I suggest the new system be much simpler, maybe just two levels; under attack and not under attack.

The much maligned Bush era multi-color threat level system may be on its way out. According to the DHS website the threat level yoyos between yellow and orange most of the time and on rare occasions pops up to the red level for brief stints. Personally I believe the various threat levels were of absolutely no value to all but the military and first responders. I've always wondered what we the people were supposed to do differently as threat levels changed. If I witnessed a couple guys loading fertilizer and diesel fuel into the back of a rental truck I'd call the police regardless of the threat level. As a reminder the levels are:

Low: Green
•A green terror-threat level indicates that there is a low risk of terror attacks. The terror alert level has never been dropped this low.

Guarded: Blue
• level indicates that there is a general risk of terroristic activities. American citizens should remain aware that terrorism is a real possibility, but need not worry about imminent attacks.

Elevated: Yellow
•A yellow alert level represents a significant terror risk; citizens are to remain vigilant and work to reduce the risk of terror attacks by alerting authorities to any suspicious activities they may encounter during their daily activities.

High: Orange
•An orange level indicates that the Department of Homeland Security has reason to believe that a terrorist attack may soon be perpetrated on American soil. Citizens should remain attentive and await further instruction from local authorities. They should also prepare to respond to terrorist attack and ensure that they and their families have a plan to respond to such an emergency.

Severe: Red
•A red terrorism alert level signifies either that the Department of Homeland Security has very specific intelligence related to an attack or that we are currently under attack. Citizens are should avoid public places that may be potential terrorism targets and remain aware of their surroundings to ensure that they don't inadvertently encounter a potentially dangerous situation. This level is intended to be used during short periods of time when terrorism is imminent, and not as a normal status level on a day-to-day basis.

paraphrased from: http://www.ehow.com/list_6979697_thr...ls-colors.html


I suggest the new system be much simpler, maybe just two levels; under attack and not under attack.