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Economic disruption ; and • Disruption of community services Power failures have the same potential impacts in all Indian River County communities . The vulnerabilities of all communities to power failures is considered moderate . The power grid throughout Indian River County is diversified , and there are no single choke points or distribution nodes whose failure would disrupt power distribution to the entire community. 4. 2. 2. 2 Risk Assessment At the time of publication , no model was available to determine the potential loss associated with power failure in Indian River County . 4 .2 . 3 Hazardous Materials Accident Hazardous materials accidents can occur anywhere there is a road , rail line , pipeline , or fixed facility storing hazardous materials . Virtually the entire state i4ft at risk to an unpredictable accident of some type . Most accidents are small spills and leaks , but some result in injuries , property damage , environmental contamination , and other consequences . These materials can be poisonous , corrosive , flammable , radioactive , or pose ther hazards and are regulated by the Department of Transportation . However, out of approximately 1 , 663 hazardous materials incidents reported statewide in 1997 , no known fatalities were reported , less than 4% resulted in injuries , and less than 6 % resulted in evacuation . Emergencies involving hazardous materials can be expected to range from a minor accident with no off-site effects to a major accident , which may result in an off-site release of hazardous or toxic materials . The overall objective of chemical emergency response planning and preparedness is to minimize exposure for a wide range of accidents that could produce off-site levels of contamination in excess of Levels of Concern established by the EPA. Minimizing this exposure will reduce the consequences of an emergency to people in the area near to facilities that manufacture , store , or process hazardc us materials (Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council , 1998 ) . A large volume of hazardous materials is transported to and through the County by railroad and highway , air , water, and pipeline daily . Within Indian River County , there are a number of both public and private fixed facilities that produce or use hazardous materials . Coordinating procedures for hazardous material response are found within the County's Emergency Plan for Hazardous Materials . Mishandling and improper disposal or storage of medical wastes and low- level radioactive products from medical use are also a hazard to Indian River County . For example , a few years ago an incident occurred in New Jersey when improper c isposal of medical wastes resulted in some of the used products ending up on Atlantic Ocean beaches . 4. 2. 3. 9 Vulnerability Assessment Hazardous materials events can have the following potential impact3l within a fir► community : 4-56