Hazards Facing My Community.
George D. Spinks, Jr.
Waldorf College
EMG 2000 Introduction to Emergency Management
Lancaster County faces several hazards, both man-made and natural, that can have a significant physical and economic impact on the area and its population. Earthquakes, hurricanes and nuclear power plant incidents are some of the most significant hazards Lancaster County will face.
Lancaster County is located in the Piedmont area of South Carolina. The land mass of the county is approximately 555 square miles, with 6 miles being waterways (mostly ponds and lakes). There are three municipalities within Lancaster County. The City of Lancaster, the Town of Kershaw and the Town of Heath Springs. The northern portion…show more content… This is caused by the breaking and shifting of underground rock releasing strain that has built up over years. There have been two significant earthquakes in South Carolina, the Charleston Earthquake of 1886 and the Union County Earthquake of 1913.
Historically, there has never been an earthquake in Lancaster County, but there have been several that have occurred in areas bordering the county. Earthquakes have occurred in Richburg (2.0 magnitude), Camden (2.3 magnitude) and Jefferson (3.5 magnitude). The 5.8 magnitude earthquake that struck central Virginia and damaged the Washington Monument was felt in Lancaster County. Hurricanes are storms that form in the southern Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. Hurricanes produce winds in excess of 150 mph, tornados, microbursts, flash floods and storm surges. All areas along the Atlantic and Gulf Coast are subject to hurricanes. The Atlantic coast hurricane season lasts from the first of June to the last day of November, with the peak of the season occurring mid-August to late…show more content… The deadliest and costliest hurricane in Lancaster County was Hurricane Hugo. The storm cost the State of South Carolina over 6.5 billion dollars and was responsible for thirty five deaths. Tornados, flooding, flying debris and storm surge are all associated with hurricanes. Lancaster County is not affected by storm surge, but it is affected by the tornados, flooding and flying debris. A tornado was reported in Lancaster County during Hurricane Hugo. Nuclear power plants use the heat generated from nuclear fission to convert water to steam, which powers generators and produces electricity. Nuclear power plants account for over fifty percent of the electricity generated in South Carolina. Lancaster County is the only county in the United States that has five nuclear facilities within fifty miles of its borders. The threat from nuclear power plants is an indirect threat to the county. This indirect threat would come from the release of any radioactive material and that material being carried into Lancaster County. The other threat would be from displaced people fleeing the release from the nuclear power plant and ending up in Lancaster County. These displaced people could cause cross contamination into the population of the county.
The Lancaster County Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) and the hazard
