4/17/15 The Journal News: Group slams Westchester, Putnam nuclear disaster plans
Group slams Westchester, Putnam nuclear disaster plans
Ernie Garcia, elgarcia@lohud.com 2:05 p.m. EDT April 17, 2015
Rockland County responded to all four requests for educational materials on an incident at Indian Point; all-hazard emergency plans; emergency plans specific to Indian Point; and evacuation studies.
A disaster preparedness group says Putnam and Westchester counties should improve the public’s access to their response plans for an accident at the Indian Point nuclear plant.
The Disaster Accountability Project, a Washington, D.C.-based watchdog group, got incomplete responses when it submitted Freedom of Information Law requests to local counties for emergency plans and public education.
Rockland County performed best, responding to all four of the group’s requests for educational materials for an incident at Indian Point; all-hazard emergency and evacuation plans; emergency plans specific to Indian Point; and studies on self-evacuations by the public living outside the 10-mile radius around the power plant.
Putnam only responded to one request for emergency plans specific to Indian Point, while Westchester responded to three of the requests except for the one on how it would handle self-evacuations by people living outside the danger zone who might clog roads and impede emergency responders or genuine evacuees.
Ben Smilowitz, the DAP’s executive director, said it’s unclear if Putnam and Westchester counties are unprepared or unresponsive to information requests.
“If they don’t have it in their plans and if there’s an emergency, they’re not going to be able to coordinate well with other jurisdictions,” said Smilowitz, who released the report Wednesday. “I have to hope that Putnam County is compliant with federal regulations around planning.”
In an email Putnam County Executive MaryEllen Odell wrote that her county spends hundreds of hours each year planning and training in the event of an accident at Indian Point.
“Putnam County conforms to the requirements mandated through the Federal NRC and FEMA. Through annual exercises, Putnam County has successfully completed all requirements,” Odell wrote.
Westchester county officials did not respond to a request for comment about the report.
On Wednesday U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-NY, spoke at a Nuclear Regulatory Commission budget oversight hearing and she asked the NRC commissioners to require evacuation plans beyond the mandatory 10-mile zone.
Jerry Nappi, a spokesman for Indian Point, said the current 10-mile radius for emergency planning zones has a well-documented scientific basis.
“Indian Point has a federally approved emergency response plan which is evaluated and exercised regularly and in conjunction with our partners in county, state and federal government. In the unlikely case of a radiological event the public will be well-informed and well-protected,” Nappi wrote in an email.
Twitter: @ErnieJourno