Emergency Response to Domestic Terrorism

Dr. Alethia Cook is Assistant Director of the Security Studies Program at East Carolina University. As an assistant professor in the Political Science Department, Dr. Cook teaches courses in terrorism and response to terrorism.

• 1. Bureaucratic Response to Disasters: Issues and Methods; 2. Disaster, Chaos, and Response: First Arrival at the Murrah Building Scence; 3. Emergency Response Challenges; 4. Response as a Street-Level Phenomenon; 5. Response Bureaucracies' Tasks and Goals; 6. Conclusions: Lessons Learned and Reinforced; Appendix A: Interviews Conducted; Appendix B: Interview Questionnaires; Bibliography; Index.

"The 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing forced the population in the interior of the United States to recognize that the "heartlands" were not immune from a massive terrorist attack. In the period following the bombing understandable emotion often clouded an objective analysis of how the authorities responded to the tragedy. Alethiia H. Cook has  taken advantage of the passage of time to develop an excellent analytical framework and an impressive empirical approach largely based on interviews to provide an important anatomy of the crucial first twelve hours after a major terrorist incident. Emergency Response to Domestic Terrorism : How Bureaucracies Reacted to the 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing should be required reading for policy makers, organizations and  operational personnel that are responsible for responding to terrorists attacks and other major catastrophes. It should also be an essential part of any scholar or student who is involved in the increasingly vital and growing field of emergency management" --Stephen Sloan, Lawrence J. Chastang Distinguished Professor of Terrorism Studies,University of Central Florida; Professor Emeritus, The University of Oklahoma