Evacuations (including non-combatant evacuation operations (NEOs) supported by the Department of Defense) will be considered only if there is a breakdown in civil order that cannot be contained by local authorities and that further threatens the lives of Americans in a particular country. Even then, such evacuation operations may not be possible or advisable based on other concerns. Note that, if the U.S. Government does coordinate an evacuation operation, private U.S. citizens may be required to find their own transportation to the departure point. Note also that private U.S. citizens are required to reimburse the USG for all costs of their evacuation.

In many instances where trouble exists, Americans and others can take advantage of existing transportion to either move away from the danger or return to the U.S. As a situation grows more serious, many prudent people choose to depart, or have their families depart, long before an "evacuation" need occur.

That said, even departing voluntarily before a crisis occurs but on short notice can be difficult, and so we would like to share these resources to aid in your planning.

This material is written for employees and family members assigned to an American Embassy or Consulate abroad, but most of it is practical advice that would be useful to anyone living outside of their own country.

Evacuations are stressful experiences: Where to go? What to take? What personal papers are necessary? Stresses and frustrations can be reduced by advanced contingency planning on your part. This information includes handy checklists of things to prepare before arriving in a new country and for the period leading up to your departure.

Learn more here... www.state.gov/www/flo/paper10.html

Concerned about how to talk to your children about terrorism? Read the article "Helping Our Children Cope with Terrorism" from our March 2003 newsletter. This page, created by the Red Cross, offers information on how to best prepare for a sudden departure from a dangerous area.

http://www.redcross.org/preparedness/cdc_english/evac-1.html