The United States is not safe from foreign terrorist attacks, such as 911, September 11, 2001. Violent actions pursued by national extreme groups are also a threat (against a federal building in Oklahoma City, in 1995; using carbon powder against the Congress and the media in Autumn 2001).

 

The Alert Level is measured at any moment by the concerned authorities, published at the following website : www.whitehouse.gov/homeland.
Considerable enforcement to support the anti-terrorism battle, since September 11, 2001, does not constitute a total guarantee against these actions.

 

After 8 years of lower criminality rate, now the number slowly goes up.

This rise affects especially certain agglomerations. It is advised to inform yourself about dangerous districts upon arrival in a city, places to avoid, and the hours on which you are no longer safe to come by foot.

 

 

The majority of crimes are done at night and mostly in weekends.

The majority of murders takes place in public places and especially related to drug traffics.

 

Policial violences and racial behaviors are sometimes to deploy.

 

Tourists are a good aim for random thieves, you are advised to keep your passports, your plane tickets and your money in a safe place and keep with you a copy of the passport's first pages as well as the green visa waiver document given to you upon arrival.

It is convenient to avoid keeping your bagages and documents within a parked car, and do not leave them without surveillance in the airports, stations, car rental agents, or hotel halls.

 

Due to the high risk of fraud on bank cards, we advise you to pay with cash for small amounts and in small establishments, and in all circumstances, do not miss to keep an eye on your card.

 

Finally, we remind you that a scrupulous respect of the rules is imposed in airports and on board of your flight.

Due to the reason of actual international context and the sensibility of American public opinion, we suggest you to restrain yourself from talking about these matters in public places.

 

In the East Zone :

Boston : Walking at night is to avoid at the districts of Dorchester, Mattapan and Roxbury.
The attention of the French must also be drawn to a recrudescence of the minor delinquency, observed especially during big cultural or sporting events and in certain tourist districts, such as Chinatown, Fenway and North End.

New-York : Be careful in the touristic places such as Times Square or Statue of Liberty, as well as in the airports, train stations, subway, restaurants, museums and some hotels of West End. Do not come alone to Harlem, Bronx and Central Park in the night.

Washington : At night, avoid the northeast and southeast districts, as well as the bus station, and Washington DC's main train station, the Union Station. In the touristic quarters of Georgetown and Dupont Circle, you must be more careful at night. And the Anacostia quarter is to avoid day and night.

Philadelphia : Avoid to frequent the north quarters except if you go in a group.

Baltimore is considered as a dangerous city except in its center.

Richmond also, do not visit the city center by foot.


Central Zone :

Pittsburgh : Avoid the districts of Mount Oliver, Hill District, Homewood-Brushton and Hazel Wood.

Cleveland : The city center is not dangerous on daytime, but it is not suggested to go there at night. Avoid certain adjacent quartiers, day and night, particularly Cleveland Heights, Lakewood and Euclid.

Detroit : The city center should not be visited after everything is closed.

Chicago : Avoid the West Side and the south of the city after the 59th street.

South Zone :

Saint-Louis : Avoid the north district between the airport and the city center, but the shuttlebus connecting both places is safe.

Atlanta : Pay attention in the city center after everything is closed, and avoid the south part of the city.

New Orleans : You should avoid to walk around with expensive bags or stuff even in the middle of daylight in the most frequented quarters (French Quarter or Garden District). At night, do not walk alone beyond the northwest of Dauphine Street and the northeast of Rue des Ursulines in the French Quarter, in the northwest of Saint Charles Street and the southeast of Magazine Street in the Garden District.

Florida : Aggressions against the tourists and car drivers, very frequent a few years ago, have now become rare. For security reason, do not stop outside lightened areas, especially if someone, standing beside the street or in a car, invites you to do so. Please report the presence of this person to the nearest police station.

West Zone :

Los Angeles
Large zones must be avoided, notably the east, south and southeast quarters such as Watts, Inglewood and Florence. Please take some precautions in the city center and at touristic places (Hollywood, Santa Monica, Venice Beach, Long Beach) as well as at the more residential quarters of Westside where aggressions regularly happen (thievery - including car thievery, robbing of hotel or private properties).

 

Risk of Natural Disasters and Meteorological Phenomenons :
The risk of violent natural disasters and meteorological phenomenons are much bigger than in Europe. We advise you, before all outings in a natural park or an on road trip, to inform yourself about the weather forecasts. Please respect the alerts given by local authorities in case of storm or tornado. In natural parks, most of all in mountains and in desert regions, do not go off the marked road and inform yourself systematically at the local guides.


Hurricanes and Tornadoes :
Risk of hurricanes is very frequent on the Atlantic coast and the Mexican Gulf (States of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas), and in smaller proportion, in the coasts of Georgia and Carolina between early June and October. The island of Porto Rico is frequently touched by tropical disasters whose exact trajectory is difficult to forecast. So, you need to listen to the radio or see the news on TV regularly, when a hurricane is announced. Two alert phrases : Hurricane Watch - the observation - or Hurricane Warning when the threat comes closer (equally valid in case of tornadoes, floods and flash floods).

The hurricanes are classified into 5 categories (5 means a velocity of 250 kmh).

General Consulates of the regions concerned by these meteorological phenomenons possess an emergency line.
Other than these phone lines, the info is always updated acccording to the evolution of the situation, on the website of French General Consulate in Miami (www.consulfrance-miami.org), who will also inform you about the precautions to take.

In case of a mandatory evacuation, we advise you to follow carefully the instruction letter diffused by the national security.

Informing Radios in case of emergency :

• In Louisiane, 870 AM and 101, 9 FM.
• In Floride, 162, 55 Mhz and 91, 3 FM.
• In Biloxi , Mississippi , 90, 3 FM.
• In Tuscaloosa, Alabama, 91, 5 FM.

Seismic risks :
California has big seismic risks. You must consult the instructions to follow in case of an earthquake. Generally, these instructions are available in hotel rooms.

Indoor :

• Go as far as you can from the windows, exterior walls, all furnitures, painting, chandeliers or other luminary objects risking to fall down.
• Shelter under a solid table or any resistant furniture, or stay under a door frame.

Outdoor :

• Go into a free or open space, far from trees, electric posts, walls or buildings.
• If you're driving a car, please stop at the edge of the road and wait inside your car until the earthquake stops.

In any case, you need to stay calm, follow the given instruction and wait for the earthquake to stop. Every big shocks is followed by a series of aftershocks.

If an earthquake happens during your touristic trip, we advise you to contact your family or relatives immediately to ensure them about your safety, or should there be any communication problem with your country of origin, please contact your nearest embassy or consulate.

 

Floods :
Due to the reason of strong floods occuring in Alaska from mid May (might continue until the end of August), activities in the rivers of this State such as fishing or rafting are dangerous. Drownings occur frequently. Please inform yourself in the local tourist bureau before practising any of these activities.




Risks related to sea swimming :
Along all coasts, swimming in the open sea can be dangerous (strong currents, sharks, giant stingrays...) and thus we strongly suggest you to avoid swimming outside authorized and watched zones.


Shark Attacks :
To reduce maximally the risk of shark attacks, we advise you the following :
- Go swimming only between 8 AM and 6 PM, sharks are at their most active at dawn and at sunset.
- Choose systematically watched beaches.
- Do not wear glittery bathing suits, watches or jewelleries.
- Do not go swimming when you are wounded or if you are losing some blood.
- Swim near other people and stay away from fishing points.
- Avoid surfing (in 2000, two third out of 34 accidents have occurred to surfers surfing on the Atlantic coast, in the county of Volusia, in Daytona).
- If you see a shark, the best attitude is to stay calm and swim away slowly without moving too much the water.

(Source : Ministry of Foreign Affairs)