Nuclear Plants Aid In Emergency Preparedness

Here's John Wheeler on one of the lesser known benefits enjoyed by communities that host nuclear power plants:

Since we're discussing Emergency Plans, I wanted to bring your attention to an event that speaks to the incredibly good brought about by the Sharon Harris nucear plant in North Carolina. About two weeks ago in Apex, NC there was a huge fire at a chemical storage facility in the middle of the night that caused a release of deadly chlorine gas. More than 16,000 people had to be evacuated from their beds, and it was done quickly and safely.

From everything I've read it was done with out panic, and without incident. What I didn’t hear was any mention of the fact that the emergency planning infrastructure in Apex and the surrounding communities was developed primarily by Progress Energy, the owners of Sharon Harris as part of their emergency plan. The citizens of Apex have Progress Energy to thank for the well-organized response that kept them informed and alerted them of the need to evacuate.

I've seen this repeated all over the USA. Communities that have nuclear plants have a well organized and well-funded emergency response organization that's had the benefit of training they get from the nuclear plant staff. They put that training to use in all kinds of emergencies.

The newspapers and other mainstream media rarely pick up on this, but if you talk to the state and county officials, and I have, they'll tell you they're much better prepared for all sorts of emergencies because of the funding, equipment, and training they get through the nuclear plant's emergency preparedness program.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Politics, Emergency Preparedness