Hazard Identification for Scioto County A hazards identification for Scioto County has been completed and hazards that could affect all or parts of Scioto County have been identified and analyzed. The results of this identification and analysis were used as the basis for developing the emergency operations plan and revealed that: Civil Disorders could affect the county but would probably be limited to the more populated cities and could occur at any time. The greatest number of incidents emerge from strikes. Disorders have also occurred at the Lucasville State Maximum Security Prison. There are twelve Class I Dams in Scioto County. Dams having a storage volume greater than 5,000 acre feet or a height of greater than 60 feet are classified as Class I dams. In addition, when failure of a dam would result in the probable loss of human life or present a serious hazard to health, damage to homes, high value industrial or commercial properties or major public utilities, the dams shall be placed in the Class I category. Drought would affect the entire county and could result in water shortages and agricultural damage and loss. Drought results from extremely unusual weather conditions over an extended period of time. Earthquakes could affect the entire county, although at different levels of damage. Scioto County does fall within the area predicted to be affected by disturbances along the New Madrid Fault in Missouri. Energy Emergencies -- the utility services which provide power to the homes and businesses in Scioto County could experience a temporary shut down of these facilities resulting in loss of power that could affect the lives and property of county residents. Floods threaten all of the townships in the county. Additional problems may occur from urban flooding which results in high water problems from lack of adequate drainage, such as flooded streets, basements, etc. Hazardous Material incidents could occur anyplace in the county, but the cities where industries that use hazardous materials are located and areas where transportation (water, rail and highway) routes cross are the most vulnerable. Some industrial locations store and dispose of hazardous materials. A Nuclear Attack Threat is ever present and the reduction of such threat is dependent upon actions of another country that are unpredictable. As long as there are weapons and the capability of delivery of those weapons, the threat will remain. Scioto County has been designated as a risk area with 6,294 people at risk from thermal or blast, and requiring evacuation to a host area which will receive 6,294 people from Scioto Risk Area and 10,161 from Pike County. Pipelines carrying oil or gas could rupture or explode. Experts agree that the greatest cause of accidents involves a farmer or a contractor digging nearby and accidentally striking the line. Subsidence and Landslides are possible throughout the entire county. Major roads could be entirely blocked by a landslide. Terrorist incidents -- The City of Portsmouth water works, Aristech Chemical, Dow Chemical, The Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, Department of Energy to Lockheed Martin, Southern Ohio Correctional Facility all would be most likely terrorist targets. Tornado/Severe Storms could occur anyplace in the county. Damage and loss of life could be severe and overwhelm the ability of local responders to address the emergency. Transportation Incidents are of a serious nature and could result in long range effects especially when Hazardous Materials are involved. Water shortages could occur but would possibly not be a countywide problem. Although water shortages may occur as a result of a drought, shortages may also occur as a result of contamination and inadequate systems of delivery. Winter storms could affect the entire county at the same time. This type of emergency poses a most difficult response effort because of road conditions which impede or prohibit vehicle movement. Gaseous Diffusion Plant, located just in Pike County, has a 5-mile planning zone that extends into Scioto County. Maps of each hazard area part of the Scioto County Emergency Operations Plan are on file in the EMA office, 2010 Charles Street, Portsmouth OH 45662 Economic Development | Info & Statistics | Events & Attractions Our County & Communities | News | Contacts | Home Free JavaScripts provided by The JavaScript Source © 1998-02 Scioto County Government. All rights reserved.