Prepare To Evacuate
A senior State Department official said the alerts will be sent to remind people to take routine precautions in the event of "all possible and various unforeseen" circumstances. He did not deny that a possible war with Iraq is behind the timing of the advisory. "I didn't say it was totally routine," the official said. "I said we are doing this and have done it before. It's just that we thought it was appropriate to remind people to take precautions." About 4 million U.S. citizens live overseas, and thousands more are traveling outside the country any given day, the State Department said. The alerts will take the form of "warden's messages," sent out by embassies and consulates to Americans traveling or living abroad, with advice on "preparedness for emergency," said Susan Pittman, a department spokeswoman. Pittman said the advisory summarizes steps Americans abroad should take "to ensure they are prepared for an emergency, whether it is a personal emergency or is the result of political or economic unrest, natural disaster or terrorist attack."
Feb 2003
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