General Security Information for American Citizens

For Americans living overseas, the most serious obstacle to personal safety is an attitude of complacency or fatalism. "It can’t happen to me" and "if it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen" could be dangerous thinking.

Some of the things you can do to prepare for the unexpected are the same for both a natural or man-made emergency. However there are important differences among potential threats that will impact the decisions you make and the actions you take. With a little planning and common sense, you can be better prepared for the unexpected.

Below are some useful tips for you on how to stay prepared for various types of emergencies. To review specific safety information related to Ukraine, please take a look at our Security Information for Ukraine and the Embassy's last Warden Message.

Disaster Planning (1.3M PDF document)
Terrorism (1.4M PDF document)
Assault (63K PDF document)
Automobile Safety (15K PDF document)
Fire Safety (436K PDF document)
Personal Safety (316K PDF document)
Responding to Chemical and Biological Threat (230K PDF document)
Important Documents (5K RTF document)