September 11, 2001 is a day that will be forever be etched in my memory. I remember standing on my Cobble Hill, Brooklyn balcony with my three-year-old son, Amen, watching the second aircraft slam into the side of World Trade Center tower number two.

Almost instantly, I knew we were under attack. I also understood that life in the city that I love, and our nation would be changed permanently. The rough beast of terrorism that plagues most of the world community had finally landed hard on our shores.

Despite the horror of it all, I wasn't shocked. The only thing that I was surprised by was that it didn't happen sooner. I have realized for quite some time that our country could no longer dodge this lethal bullet we have avoided for so long. Our intelligence community has known for years that our nation would be hit with a large-scale terrorist strike. And then came Hurricane Katrina. Once again Americans were painfully reminded of the precariously thin veneer of civilization that that separates our lifestyles of comfort and luxury from sheer devastation on a catastrophic level.

As a son of a military man, and the father of a young boy, I feel in my bones the real potential for large-scale disaster in urban and suburban areas, and formed International Preparedness Network to help people and communities prepare themselves and work with each other to respond to disasters catastrophes we now realize our federal government is woefully unable to anticipate or manage effectively for us.

There s nothing like the birth of one s child to drive home the point that life is a beautiful thing and worth the momentary inconvenience and cost of preparedness. I ve also discovered that among life s great paradoxes, confronting dark possibilities and preparing for them removes their power to paralyze with fear. If you are like many Americans, a vague dread hangs over your head, and time and money is spent trying to distract yourself from the troubling rumors related to potential terrorist attacks, as well as the whims of mother nature. But preparing for potential disaster gives you the psychological advantage of having some control over the worst-case situations, as well as significantly improving your odds for living through them. This provides you the ability to enjoy life more fully.

Being prepared is the conscious decision to become aware of your surroundings, and doing what you can to protect yourself and your loved ones. Preparedness is understanding that the police, fire department, utilities, and the local supermarket cannot be relied on to protect, rescue or sustain you in the event of an emergency. Preparedness is doing what you can to become stronger, more aware, more self-reliant.

The current administration tells us that more terrorism is a fait accompli. Katrina exposed the weaknesses of our emergency response systems to everyone a vulnerability that can only inspire those who feel the need to settle a score with our country.

In our lifetime, we will see more devastating hurricanes beyond Katrina and Rita along with floods, tornadoes, powerful earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, and the human-made tsunami, war. According to the Nuclear Threat Initiative headed by former Senator Sam Nunn and Ted Turner, future attacks may include mass casualty weapons (biological and chemical) and weapons of mass destruction (nuclear). Infectious disease is also another serious threat. The World Heath Organization along with the US Center for Disease Control have both stated publicly that we are due for another global pandemic, and bird flu is on a growing list of highly contagious ailments that we will encounter over the next few years.

You hear the phrases everywhere: "It s not a question of if, it s a question of when." "Prepare now." "Are you ready?" This book provides practical, organized and time-tested information you need to put informed self-reliance into action.

The paradigm about Preparedness has already shifted. The time has come for you to shift with it. Not yesterday, not tomorrow: PREPAREDNESS NOW!

With Sincere Regards,

Aton Edwards International Preparedness Network