Man-Made Disasters
Man-made disasters can include hazardous material accidents, large-scale transportation accidents, mass shootings, and terrorist incidents.
Accidental Man-Made Disasters
Transportation-related accidents probably pose the biggest threat to the public. Traffic carrying hazardous materials moves through various areas every day, via highways and rail lines. Significant air traffic flies over us. Even accidents involving ordinary cars and trucks can cause a sizable emergency.
Additionally, Benton County is a growing community and home to numerous industries, many of which may contain amounts of Hazardous Materials or Toxic Industrial Chemicals. When accidents occur at these facilities, it is important to be able to receive health and safety information from Public Safety Officials. We would encourage every Benton County resident to register for the free alerting tool located at www.bcalert.com.
In the event of an accident involving hazardous materials, your safety will depend on following instructions from first responders about whether to stay or go. Understand what it means to shelter in place and to evacuate.
In a serious emergency, emergency responders will advise you to do one of two things:
- Evacuate
- Shelter in place
Shelter in place simply means, “stay home!” In situations involving a hazardous materials release, you may be asked to “seal” your home. A natural instinct may be to flee in an emergency; however, emergency personnel may recommend sheltering in place – staying home – instead. Sheltering in place may be the safest and most appropriate response for these kinds of disasters. If there is a need to evacuate an area, evacuation details will be sent out over BCAlert as well as through local media resources.
For additional information regarding various man-made disasters:
