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<br />RISK AND VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT <br />Ramsey County Multijurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan | July 2012 4-47 <br />and when an energy/fuel shortage incident will occur. People are vulnerable to energy/fuel shortage <br />events through effects on transportation routes, pipelines being damage, etc. <br /> Environment Risk/Vulnerability: Risks to the environment are low should an energy/fuel shortage <br />occur. Environmental concerns would be interruption of natural gas fuel supply and secondary <br />events such as fires and hazardous materials accidents (such as gas pipelines rupturing, rupture of <br />hazardous material containers at facilities, etc.). When spills do occur, whether inside or outside <br />facilities or along roadways, shutdowns, lost time, and expended man-hours are all factors mitigation <br />planners must take into account. <br />Damage Assessment <br />Interruption of fuel supply to the County would have a detrimental effect on the County. The magnitude <br />of the interruption and the long-term expectations of the incident would determine the impact on both <br />emergency services and residents of Ramsey County. <br />Land Use and Development Trends <br />Ramsey County currently has no land use or development trends related to energy/fuel shortage. <br />Vulnerability <br />Energy/Fuel Shortage <br />Frequency of Occurrence Occasionally <br />Warning Time More than 12 hours <br />Geographic Extent County-wide <br />Potential Impact Moderate <br />Multijurisdictional Concerns <br />All of Ramsey County is vulnerable to an energy/fuel shortage. <br />Hazard Summary <br />Energy/fuel shortages are an uncommon occurrence in Ramsey County. However, the potential for an <br />energy/fuel shortage in the County poses an interesting challenge in the development of adequate <br />mitigation measures. <br />4.4.5 Power Failure <br />Hazard Identification <br />A power outage is the loss of electricity supply to an area. Power failure can result from winter storms, <br />high winds, tornadoes, severe summer storms, energy shortages, damage to a power line or other part of <br />the distribution system, a short circuit, or the overloading of electricity mains. If lost entirely, a power <br />loss is referred to as a blackout. A brownout occurs when some power is retained but the voltage level is <br />below the minimum level specified for the system. Connexus Energy and Xcel Energy provide electricity <br />services to Ramsey County. <br />A power failure can last seconds, hours, and in some extreme cases days. Power failures are particularly <br />hazardous during winter months when they threaten the ability to heat a home or office, directly <br />impacting the health of its inhabitants. Extreme temperatures in summer months can be difficult to <br />manage if power outages impact air conditioning. Transportation routes are affected when traffic signals <br />are disrupted by power outages. Additionally, when power is restored surges can cause fires.