Commentary on Sections Section 19: Meaning of “emergency”
39.Subsection (1) defines ‘emergency’ for the purposes of Part 2. Events such as a terrorist attack, disruption of fuel supplies, contamination of land with a chemical matter and an epidemic could satisfy the definition, should they reach the required level of seriousness.
40.Subsections (2) and (3) specify exhaustively the kinds of event or situation which may threaten damage to human welfare or the environment. In order to satisfy the definition of “emergency”, the event or situation must threaten serious damage to human welfare in, or the environment of, the United Kingdom (or a Part or region). This definition differs to the definition of “emergency” for the purposes of Part 1 of the Act in that, for Part 1, the situation must threaten serious damage to human welfare in, or the environment of, a place in the United Kingdom (rather than in the United Kingdom or in a Part or region).
41.Subsection (5) enables the Secretary of State to amend the list of events or situations which may threaten damage to human welfare by providing that in so far as an event or situation involves or causes disruption of a specified supply, system, facility or service, it is (or is not) to be treated as threatening damage to human welfare. This is designed to ensure that should a supply, system, facility or service become so essential that disruption of it would warrant the exercise of emergency powers, the Act can be amended accordingly. Subsection (6) provides that no such order may be made unless a draft has been laid before and approved by each House of Parliament.
““Regions” are those regions specified in Schedule 1 to the Regional Development Agencies Act 1998.  There are 9 such regions; East Midlands, Eastern, London, North East, North West, South East, South West, West Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber.”