---
title: Bloomberg on Terrorism
date: 2007-06-15 10:23:00.00 -8
tags: posts 
---
> "There are lots of threats to you in the world. There's the threat of a heart attack for genetic reasons. You can't sit there and worry about everything. Get a life…. You have a much greater danger of being hit by lightning than being struck by a terrorist."

How much?

From the National Safety Council: The odds of getting struck by lightning in one's lifetime are [1/80,000](http://www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov/medical.htm).

The [NWS](http://www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov/medical.htm) suggests four factors necessary for recovery:

  * Supportive family/friends network.
  * Becoming your own advocate and learning as much as you can about this disability.
  * A physician willing to listen, read, learn and work with the survivor and their family.
  * A sense of humor.

That's great general advice, but they also put the lifetime odds at 1/5,000. What gives?

[This graphic](http://www.nsc.org/lrs/statinfo/odds_dying.jpg) listing the top causes of death helpfully points out that the odds of dying, the baseline, all causes combined, is 1/1, or 100%.

I can't find any consistant numbers on the terrorist attack odds, lifetime, per year, or otherwise. Most put the odds at over 1/1 million, or [make assumptions](http://www.anotherperspective.org/advoc530.html) like "if there was a shopping center attack every week, and you went shopping every other week" type hypotheticals.