Laserfiche WebLink
Lamar County Multi- Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan <br />HAZARD PROFILE: SECTION TWELVE - TERRORISM <br />1. Description <br />Chapter Three <br />Terrorism can strike anywhere and at anytime and have a substantial severity of impact. They <br />run the risks of multiple deaths, shut down of critical facilities and the obliterating of properties. <br />Although Lamar County has no publicized terrorist events, planning and mitigation can help <br />reduce the risk. Terrorism is defined in the Code of Federal Regulations as "the unlawful use of <br />force and violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian <br />population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives." The Federal <br />Bureau of Investigation (FBI) categorizes terrorism in the U.S. as one of two types: <br />Domestic Terrorism - is terrorist activities that focus on facilities or populations without <br />foreign direction. <br />International Terrorism - is terrorist activities that are foreign -based and /or are <br />sponsored by organizations or groups outside the U.S. <br />This distinction between domestic or international terrorism refers not to where the terrorist act <br />takes place but rather to the origin of the individuals or groups responsible for it. For example, <br />the 1995 bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City was an act of domestic <br />terrorism, but the attacks of September 2001 were international in nature. <br />International terrorism poses the greatest threat to our national security. Global trend indicate <br />that the growing number of terrorist groups will become more networked and even harder to <br />identify and track. Texas' critical infrastructures, valuable resources, and geographic location <br />create unique counterterrorism challenges. <br />2. Location <br />The form and locations of many natural hazards are identifiable and, even in some cases, <br />predictable. Terrorism, however, cannot be forecast with any accuracy. There is, therefore, <br />some potential for most, if not all, types of terrorist acts to occur anywhere and at any time. <br />Figure 2a shows a generalized location of pipelines running through the county. This information <br />due to security reasons is not exact and should only be used to give the reader an idea of the <br />dimension of the potential threat. Pipelines, highways, and other infrastructure as shown in <br />Figure 2b could be probable terrorist targets due to the potential to impair the local population. <br />144 <br />