• Get under a sturdy table or desk if things are falling around you. When they stop falling, leave quickly, watching for obviously weakened floors and stairways.
• Do not use elevators.
• Stay low if there is smoke. Do not stop to retrieve personal possessions or make phone calls.
• Check for fire and other hazards.
• Once you are out, do not stand in front of windows, glass doors or other potentially hazardous areas.
• If you are trapped in debris, use a flashlight, whistle or tap on pipes to signal your location to rescuers.
• Shout only as a last resort to avoid inhaling dangerous dust.
• Cover your nose and mouth with anything you have on hand.

• There may be significant numbers of casualties or damage to buildings and infrastructure.
• Heavy law enforcement involvement at local, state and federal levels.
• Health and mental health resources in the affected communities can be strained to their limits, maybe even overwhelmed.
• Extensive media coverage, strong public fear and international implications and consequences.
• Workplaces and schools may be closed, and there may be restrictions on domestic and international travel.
• You and your family or household may have to evacuate an area, avoiding roads blocked for your safety.
• Clean-up may take many months.

• Get as much information from the caller as possible. Try to ask the following questions:
  • When is the bomb going to explode?
  • Where is it right now?
  • What does it look like?
  • What kind of bomb is it?
  • What will cause it to explode?
  • Did you place the bomb?
• Keep the caller on the line and record everything that is said.
• Notify the police and building management immediately.

• Are unexpected or from someone unfamiliar to you.
• Have no return address, one that doesn’t match the postmark, or can’t be verified as legitimate.
• Are marked with restrictive endorsements such as “Personal,” “Confidential,” or “Do not X-ray.”
• Have inappropriate or unusual labeling such as threatening language
• Have protruding wires or aluminum foil, strange odors or stains.
• Have excessive postage or packaging material, such as masking tape and string.
• Are of unusual weight given their size or are lopsided or oddly shaped.
• Are not addressed to a specific person.

Take these additional steps against possible biological and chemical agents:

• Never sniff or smell suspicious mail.
• Place suspicious envelopes or packages in a plastic bag or some other type of container to prevent leakage of contents.
• Leave the room and close the door or section off the area to prevent others from entering.
• Wash your hands with soap and water to prevent spreading any powder to your face.
• If you are at work, report the incident to your building security official or an available supervisor, who should notify police and other authorities without delay.
• List all people who were in the room or area when this suspicious letter or package was recognized. Give a copy of this list to both the local public health authorities and law enforcement officials for follow-up investigations and advice.
• If you are at home, report the incident to local police.