I have no direct experience with sheltering after chemical or radiation exposures, just what I know from the Red Cross plan and study of our county's EM plan: most chemical attacks don't warrant sheltering, folks exposed, treated and decontaminated can generally return to their homes unless those areas remain contaminated or dangerous to re-enter. In dirty bomb scenarios the walking wounded are decontaminated and hospitalized, those who are uninjured can generally go through decontamination and return to their homes as well. Evacuation of contaminated areas involves moving significant number of people away from an area or the path of fallout, and depending on the scenario this means decontaminating people and loading them on buses for transit well away from the contamination zone. A dirty bomb attack in Seattle might not even require a sheltering response by me, but my counterparts in Pierce or Snohomish County to the south and north.

If we did open a shelter to receive evacuees, I expect it will involve a tight protocol of receiving Metro buses at the entrance to the shelter area loaded with decontaminated people. They will be tagged with wristbands, and we'll receive a manifest from the driver or a county, state or federal official, of identification of the people aboard, because most likely their IDs and cell phones and other personal possessions will be collected and discarded during decontamination. We'll usher them in, complete registration, and get them a meal, mental and health services counseling, and connect them with their loved ones - in no particular order. Match them up with replacement clothing, or to supplement the clothing given after decontamination. Assess their short term needs and meet them. That sort of thing. Walk-ins for sheltering would be turned away, or more properly referred to decontamination officials if it appears they came from the area of the disaster. I am fairly certain though that this has never been done in King County, only in mock drills and exercises, which may not have gone past the table top drill in terms of shelter arrangements.

As my wife is fond of saying, "only a prepper would think of that." :-)

On this issue of self-defense in shelters, listen: I'm not sure what you imagine goes on in a shelter environment. First, if you think it is as chaotic as the disaster that landed those people in the shelter, think again. If you imagine that shelters are places of violence and physical attack, you are wrong. If you think there are constant pressures to steal your valuables, it ain't so. If you imagine its a cross between Thunderdome and Attica, you are way off base. Your encounters with others in the shelters are fairly banal - conversation, sharing a bit of intel on the extent of the disaster, status of your family, arriving assistance, and your next steps to get back to where you were before. Regular meals. A shelter dormitory filled with people you wouldn't ordinarily share a bedroom with for sure, but we give everyone an element of space between - and as in any hostel, there will be a snorer or two somewhere that could keep you awake. People arriving and departing at all hours - jobs don't end in disasters, in fact some of your fellow dorm sleepers can lose their jobs if they don't make the midnight shift every night. The cot won't be deluxe, and in certain regions of the country (hurricane area) you aren't guaranteed a cot to sleep on but a pad on the floor. But gangsters won't sully up to you at mealtime and demand your buttered bread or plate of spaghetti. There should be no physical assaults anywhere - although much like the rest of the world, no guarantees I suppose (wood knock). If you have even the inkling of a bad encounter with anyone, staff or client, you can talk to any shelter worker and it will be dealt with and escalated immediately. We are quick to dial 911 at the slightest hint of aggression or medical emergency. If you experience theft, it will be reported up to RC security and local law enforcement may also become involved.

What you should find in a Red Cross shelter is an atmosphere of equality, for starters: everyone receives approximately the same assistance as everyone else. The same meals as each other, except those with dietary needs such as diabetics, gluten free, nut allergies, and religious practices, kosher and halal; the same sleeping arrangements, modulo the number of cots immediately stocked at the site; the same opportunities for assistance, for you to take advantage of, or not; and the same provision of intel about what we know about the disaster and what's being done to assist you to return to where you were before. We hope to foster an environment of mutual respect for and among our clients, and recognition of their dignity. We actually have a whole list of Red Cross values that we incorporate into what we do, and its how we operate shelters. Depending on the size of the shelter population, you'll hear laughter, at least from the children, who either run around having a hey day or are off playing with a volunteer entertaining them with crayons, a video, or a puzzle or game. People sitting around drinking coffee, talking. People taking naps, especially if they work off shift. People just not there during the daytime, because their job still exists or their real job of cleaning up after their disaster has taken over. Far more people in a shelter are out of the shelter working on their recovery, which is good. REDACTED