May 25, 2005
By CAROLYN LORIé, Battleboro Reformer Staff
BRATTLEBORO -- Vermont Yankee, in conjunction with local and state organizations, is in the midst of a three-day radiological emergency plan exercise. The drill began on Tuesday morning and is expected to be completed Thursday afternoon.
Officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission are observing and evaluating the drill. FEMA will hold a public meeting on the results on Thursday, June 2, at the Quality Inn on Putney Road. It will begin at 7 p.m.
According to a FEMA press release, the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant Plume and Ingestion Exercise has two major components.
The "plume portion" is done every two years and tests the ability of Vermont Yankee and local and state officials from Vermont, Massachusetts and New Hampshire to protect residents within the emergency planning zone in the event of a radiological release.
The "ingestion portion" is tested only every six years and looks at the ability of those same organizations to protect the public from ingesting contaminated food and water.
Months of coordination go into planning the drill, explained Michael Slobodien, director of emergency programs for Entergy Nuclear Northeast.
Representatives from Entergy, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, FEMA and, often, the NRC, plot out the specifics of the staged emergency. Those who take part in the planning cannot participate in the drill and must sign forms agreeing that they will not disclose the particulars.
Officials from the participating organizations know ahead of time when the drill will take place but don't know the nature of the emergency. Instead they must respond as the crisis evolves just as they would in a real scenario.
On Tuesday morning, operators in the control room simulator were met with instrument data that suggested an earthquake. This was the triggering event. At 8:10 a.m., an alert was announced and the emergency response plan went into action.
As the drill progressed, the crisis escalated. By 10:40 a.m., the alert was ratcheted up to a site emergency and eventually to a general emergency -- the most serious -- with a radiological release under way.
Just as they would in a real crisis, representatives from each of the state emergency response teams joined Entergy spokesman Rob Williams at the Vermont Yankee headquarters in Brattleboro and gave hourly updates to the press.
At 12:30 p.m., the officials announced the radiation release had occurred, that the plant had shut down, and that one lane of the Chesterfield Bridge was closed. They dispelled rumors that residents had been advised to take their potassium-iodide pill, which all residents in the emergency-planning zone have.
Participants posing as media reporters grilled the officials and challenged the information.
According to Slobodien, Williams and the state representatives were being evaluated on how well they presented information, whether they avoided jargon and presented the information clearly. In an emergency, they are instructed to present only facts and to avoid speculating.
By 1:30 p.m., residents in Guilford and Vernon were being told to evacuate, while those in Brattleboro, Dummerston and Halifax were told to shelter in place. Information was given on the proper dosage for the potassium-iodide pills: Children over the age of 3 were to take 65 milligrams; babies from one month to three years, one-quarter of a pill; and babies under a month, an eighth of a pill. Pregnant women and nursing mothers could take a full dose.
Instructions were given on what to do with pets and farm animals; people were encouraged to drive neighbors who did not have their own transportation to reception centers; residents were encouraged to not call 911 but to use the emergency hotline established for each state.
Representatives from various agencies from all three states -- the departments of Health, Public Safety and Pubic Works, Emergency Management -- gathered at the respective command and control centers: Waterbury, Vt.; Concord, N.H., and Framingham, Mass.
The State Police were given scenarios in which there were car accidents close to where the plume might be. They had to demonstrate their ability to deal with the particulars of the situation. Throughout the day, different aspects of the emergency response plan were put to the test.
"The more you practice, the more you use the tools, the more efficient you become," said Slobodien, who was one of the first NRC personnel on site during the accident at Three Mile Island in 1979.
According to Williams, by the end of the day on Tuesday plant officials had met all of the objectives of the drill.
The focus today and Thursday will fall mostly on local, state and federal officials, as they deal with the mock crisis in the field. Part of the exercise will include radiation monitoring by the Department of Energy, which will fly planes over the area this morning.
The June 2 meeting will be for the participants of the drill but the public may make comments on the off-site portion by writing to: Chair, Regional Assistance Committee, Federal Emergency Management Agency, 99 High St., Boston, MA 02110.
Seating at the meeting will be limited and tickets handed out at the door.
http://www.reformer.com/Stories/0,1413,102~8860~2886671,00.html