Get Local · Human-made hazards
What is near you,
and what to do about it.
State guides to nuclear plants, chemical sites, pipelines, and hazardous-material routes. Each one shows what is on the map, who keeps that map, and the steps a household takes. North Carolina is the first state.
By Dan Whelan, founder of New World Survival
Researched from government agencies, university extension services, and other published sources. See our sources
Where the guides are
Pick a state to read its guide.
Each guide is checked against the agencies that regulate these sites before it appears here. A grey state does not have its guide yet. Grey says nothing about what is in that state.
What the guides cover
What is on the map, and who keeps it.
Every hazard named in a guide comes with its source and one thing a household can do.
01
What counts as a human-made hazard?
Nuclear power plants, chemical facilities, pipelines, hazardous-material routes, and military installations. Each state guide covers the ones that exist in that state.
02
How do I find what is near me?
Each guide points to the public maps kept by the agencies that regulate these sites, including the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the federal pipeline safety office.
03
Do the guides rank states or towns by danger?
No. No public list of targets exists, and the household steps are the same everywhere. The guides show what is on the map and what to do about it.
The public maps the guides rely on include the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s emergency planning zones, the EPA’s community right-to-know program, and the National Pipeline Mapping System. Each state guide lists its own sources.
Next steps
Two ways to begin.
See an example
Read the North Carolina guide
It shows how a guide reads, even if you live in another state.
Open the guideWeather and geology
Check your natural hazards
Every state has a local risk page, with a map of where FEMA rates each hazard highest.
Natural hazardsContinue reading
What’s next
Local risks
Chemical Spill & Hazmat Preparedness
When to stay inside, when to leave, and how to find out what was released near you.
Shelter
Shelter-in-Place
Choosing a room, sealing it, and the supplies that make staying put workable for hours or days.
Case studies
Chemical Spill & Hazmat Case Studies
Industrial accidents, train derailments, and hazardous-material releases, with what to do in the first hour.
Local risks
Nuclear & Radiological Incident Preparedness
Rare events with specific household steps: what the alerts mean and where official guidance lives.