When a threat looms large in people’s minds, they may seek protectivemeasures that could mitigate the negative outcomes associated with this threat.Paradoxically, the possession of such protective measures may, in turn, inspirea sense of safety and reduce the perceived probability of the very threat thathad originally triggered their acquisition. Thus, reminding people that theypossess a medical insurance policy attenuated their perceived risk of sufferingfrom health related misfortunes (Tykocinski, 2008). The current studyconceptually replicates these findings and extends them to a different form ofinsurance. Reminding citizens in Israel of the fact that they possess gas maskssignificantly reduced their subjective estimates of the probability that Israelwill be attacked by Iran.

The summer of 2006 in northern Israel served as the battleground for the second war against Hezbollah based along Israel’s border with southern Lebanon. Western Galilee Hospital (WGH), which is located only 6 miles from the Lebanese border, served as a major medical center in the vicinity of the fighting. The hospital was directly impacted by Hezbollah with a Katyusha rocket, which struck the ophthalmology department on the 4th floor. WGH was able to utilize a 450-bed underground facility that maintained full hospital functionality throughout the conflict. In a major feat of rapid evacuation, the entire hospital population was relocated under the cover of darkness to these bunkers in just over 1 hour, thus emptying the building prior to the missile impact. Over half of the patients presenting during the conflict did not incur physical injury but qualified as acute stress disorder patients. The particulars of this evacuation remain unique owing to the extraordinary circumstances, but many of the principles employed in this maneuver may serve as a template for other hospitals requiring emergency evacuation. Hospital functionality drastically changed to accommodate the operational reality of war, and many of these tactics warrant closer investigation for possible implementation in other conflict zones. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2016;10:152–156)