What emergencies to plan for

Hampshire is at risk from a range of flood types including coastal, fluvial and groundwater. Local authorities work together to try to prevent flooding from occurring.

Advice on flood prevention and preparation

Check with the Environment Agency to see if your property or business is at risk of flooding.

Extreme weather is a likely emergency in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. It can pose a danger to the health and lives of vulnerable people. It can cause disruption to power lines, communication networks and transport.

Advice on how to prepare for extreme weather

A flu pandemic could affect a great number of people in a short space of time.

For businesses, this could mean:

• large numbers of staff are absent through illness or having to care for relatives
• significant disruption to your supply chain and transport infrastructure
• an unpredictable impact on society as a whole

A nationwide loss of electricity is an extreme scenario that has not occurred in the UK to date. While the risk is very unlikely, our reliance on electricity means that even localised outages can have a severe impact on those affected.

A nationwide loss of electricity would affect millions of consumers and critical services. The technical recovery process is called "Black Start". It could take up to five days to restore power if there is no damage. If significant damage is caused to the transmission lines, usually by severe weather, it could be weeks before some parts of the network are fully recovered and power is restored.

Much has been done in the UK to prevent industrial accidents and minimise their effects, but they can still occur.

In most cases, an industrial accident will have a very limited impact beyond the immediate vicinity and can be dealt with locally. It is still possible for there to be more significant consequences.

Incidents include fires and explosions. The risk with the biggest potential impact would be a toxic release. The effects of a toxic release are similar to those of a large fire: evacuations and potential contamination.

Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE), Aldermaston

Hampshire County Council works with AWE plc, West Berkshire Council and other organisations to ensure we are prepared for an emergency from the AWE site in Aldermaston.

Guidance on what to do in the event of an emergency at AWE

The level of threat of terrorism ranges from an individual intent on carrying out a crude attack, to sophisticated networks pursuing ambitious and coordinated plots.

To help prevent terrorism, remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to the UK's free and confidential Anti-Terrorism Hotline on 0800 789 321.