Ridge Plans Color-Coded Alert System

Homeland Security chief Thomas J. Ridge said Sunday he is preparing a five-stage, multicolored alert system that will allow federal authorities to more precisely warn the public about domestic terrorism dangers.

The system is a response to criticism that the four broad terror alerts issued by the government since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 have alarmed the public while providing little or no useful information.

The system will assign colors based on the seriousness of the threat, but Ridge said he would not divulge “the colors of the rainbow” to be used in the system until a formal release this week.

Reports in Time and Newsweek magazines Sunday said it will begin with green, the lowest status, and move to blue, yellow, orange and red as the perceived danger intensifies.

Ridge sidestepped questions about whether the public will be directly informed of alerts under the system. “We’ve discovered since 9/11, even when you send out [alerts] through the FBI, ultimately it becomes in the public domain. But public safety is the primary purpose behind this, so the public is certainly going to know.”