Type of Emergency

The types of emergencies indicated and their definitions, with the exception of terrorism, were selected in accordance with the categories for which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provide specific emergency response and prevention information.

• Bioterrorism refers to the deliberate release of viruses, bacteria, or other agents used to cause illness or death in people, animals, or plants. These agents can be spread through the air, water, or in food.
• Chemical emergencies occur when a hazardous chemical is released and the release has the potential for harming people’s health. Chemical releases can be unintentional such as an industrial accident, or intentional such as in the case of a terrorist attack.
• Mass Casualties refer to incidents such as fires, explosions, mass transit accidents such as train crashes or bridge collapses that cause numerous deaths and injuries.
• Natural Disasters refer to such natural occurrences as earthquakes, extreme heat, floods, hurricanes, landslides and mudslides, tornadoes, tsunamis, volcanoes, wildfires, and winter weather.
• Outbreaks refer to flu epidemics, viruses, or other contagious diseases; also could include food-borne outbreaks such as salmonella or E. coli.
• Radiation emergency could be a nuclear power plant accident or a terrorist event such as a dirty bomb or nuclear attack, which would expose people to significantly higher levels of radiation than are typical in daily life, leading to health problems such as cancer or even death.
• Terrorism refers to a deliberate act of murder and destruction which disrupts infrastructure and is directed towards civilians with the aim of meeting political ends.