Emergency, or hazard, situations in the southeast corner of Vermont come under the main categories of natural, technological, and biomedical.

Natural:

Most natural hazards are weather-related and are dictated by the area’s northern New England climate and its geography, including the Connecticut and West rivers and their tributaries. Hazards consist of thunder and lightning storms, hurricanes, snow and ice storms, flooding, tornadoes, earthquakes, and fires.

Technological:

The location of Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee in Vernon in addition to the proximity of Interstate 91 and other inter- and intra-state routes present risks of radiological incidences and HazMat spills or explosions. Another technological hazard is a prolonged power outage.

Biomedical:

Infectious diseases occasionally threaten large segments of the population, for example SARS in Canada in 2003.

Since 9/11, terrorism—including biological attacks as well as explosions and other threats—has become a part of emergency plans nationwide.