ANNOUNCEMENT: New Water Terrorism Preparedness Website
I am pleased to announce the availability of a FREE on-line terrorism preparedness guide that addresses the public health and security challenges resulting from intentional acts of water terrorism. This new website was developed to assist the medical and public health community as well as public utility and emergency response professionals. The initial response to this terrorism readiness resource from the medical, public health, and disaster preparedness community has been tremendous. This terrorism readiness website has received more than 5 million hits during the past 11 months from a diverse audience of users. In addition, this website has been posted as a resource by more than 270 professional organizations committed to terrorism preparedness and emergency response across the world.

I encourage you to access the WaterHealthConnection website and review these new terrorism preparedness resources. I have attached the home page and table of contents of this water terrorism resource for your reference. This on-line terrorism preparedness guide is currently available for review and reference at http://www.WaterHealthConnection.org/bt. I would also request that you consider posting this new material on your organization's website so that all healthcare providers, public health practitioners, water utility professionals, and disaster preparedness personnel are aware of this valuable resource.

Although it is not realistic to believe that we can prevent the first cases of illness resulting from intentional acts of water terrorism, we could play a critical role in minimizing the impact of such an event by using disaster preparedness resources to help us recognize and manage such an attack in our community. Preparation and access to the ready made tools available at this website may make the difference between a controlled response to an act of water terrorism versus a public health crisis. If you have any questions or comments, please contact me at waterwebmaster@stny.rr.com.

Patricia L. Meinhardt, MD, MPH, MA
Author, Physician Preparedness for Acts of Water Terrorism and Recognizing Waterborne Disease and the Health Effects of Water Pollution