Free Example of Chemical and Biological Weapons Essay

Chemical weapons have different effects on the victims depending on the type of weapon. Some have a chocking effect that causes lung-damage (Harmon, 2009). Others, called the nerve agents, interfere with the nervous system. The vesicants, which are blister agents, burn when they get in contact with the victim’s tissues. When exposed to these chemicals the victim may experience effects after a very short time i.e. few minutes or hours. Chemical weapons have a strong damaging and deadly effect on the body of the victim even when exposed to in small doses. Biological weapons, on the other hand, cause illness to the victims. Illnesses caused by biological weapons develop inside the victim and, therefore, a smaller dosage in comparison to chemical weapons is required to make damage. They, however, take longer time to effect the victim. It may not be possible to detect the symptoms for a few days. Some diseases caused by the biological weapons such as Q fever are meant to make the victim weak while some are deadly. Some biological weapons cause illnesses that are contagious and can spread from one person to many others.

The lessons of Katrina are very similar to other incidents. They all have the aspect of preparedness. Although it is very hard to predict all incidents, organizations and governments should be aware of the risk and be ready to react in case the disaster occurs regardless of whether it was foreseeable or not. Planning is another issue. Organizations and governments should inform the employees and the citizens about what to do in case of such disasters. The other similarity is the response to such disasters, which should be fast and thorough. The final similarity is communication. Communication should be effective in all situations. The communication lines and channels should withstand such disasters.

Responding to terror requires very good coordination in order to achieve the goal of reducing casualties to the lowest level.  Good coordination implies unified system of control and command. This ensures that the response actions go as planned. For instance, exposure to gas can be neutralized by the gas unit, a team that specializes in gasses. Bombs can also be detected and neutralized by the bomb squad. Other hazards such as fire can be put out by fire extinguishers. After these hazards are eliminated, the rescuers and doctors can do their work. If the response is not unified, it is likely to be uncoordinated and many unexpected consequences can occur, some of which may be catastrophic.

Terrorist events are likely to affect the response team physiologically, since the latter knows that the disasters are manmade. The response is likely to be very fast and somewhat uncoordinated. The response is also likely to involve more dedication and be very emotional. The response is also likely to come from different sources including people, who have not been trained to responding to such disasters in view that there is a common enemy.  The consequences may be tragic due to the fact that the response is likely to be uncoordinated. The aim would be to show the enemy that they have not succeeded in their evil plans.

The United States is experiencing more disasters than in the 50s and 60s as a result of floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, and terrorist attacks. This has necessitated and enabled the country to improve the disaster response. These improvements include quick and accurate communication, efforts to foresee future natural disasters, and the use of modern equipment to respond to disasters. The modernized and improved disaster response has, therefore, solved a lot of the problems that were experienced during 50s and 60s.