Top 10 Emergencies in Pennsylvania to Prepare For

According to the Pennsylvania Emergency Preparedness Guide, residents of PA should be prepared for emergencies. An emergency fulton county or other PA area is easier to handle if various households are prepared ahead of time to some extent. 1. Flooding One of the biggest threats in PA is flooding, whether from long periods of rain or a fast snow melt. When streams and creeks overflow, residents need to be prepared to handle a high water situation. 2. Fires A fast spreading fire can destroy a home in five minutes. The main reason people die in fires is due to smoke inhalation. Testing the fire alarms and keeping fire extinguishers on hand is just the start of being prepared for a fire emergency.

3. Winter Storms Many people are injured and trapped each year because of winter storms and the poor conditions. Hypothermia is a big cause of sickness and death when people are trapped in the cold. Winter storm conditions can also knock out the power for days at a time. 4. Tropical Storms, Tornadoes and Thunderstorms Pennsylvania is situated in such a way that it faces all kinds of severe weather threats. High winds can blow non-threatening items fast enough to kill. Tropical storms might bring both high winds and flooding. Thunderstorms may have severe lightening that can cause electrocution or fires. 5. Flu and Sickness Pandemics The seasonal flu attacks every year, spreading through coughing, sneezing and infected surfaces. As germs are passed around, many people are affected. Some patients, like the elderly and those with poor immune systems, are at a higher risk if they get the flu, since their bodies are not prepared to fight off the virus.

6. Hazardous Material Incidents Chemicals, liquids and gasses are moved along the roadways, railways, waterways and pipelines in PA every day and a spill would constitute a state of emergency. 7. Earthquakes and Landslides The shifting of earth is a destructive natural disaster that can cause death and injury. Landslides might occur due to a storm, earthquake, fire or other event and can strike at very fast speeds miles from where they were started. 8. Nuclear Threat Nuclear power plants are closely watched by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, but an accident could lead to dangerous levels of radiation, particularly for those within a 10 mile radius of the plant.

9. Dam Failures When a dam fails, a severe flood could wash over the lower areas protected by the dam. There are almost 80,000 dams in the U.S. and many of those affect properties if they fail. 10. Terrorism Violence and intimidation for a political goal is how terrorism is defined. Most attacks are done to get media coverage and strike fear in the minds of the public.