Background
Radiological preparedness has become a significant issue for public health agencies planning ways to address a dirty bomb detonation or fallout from an industrial accident. Jurisdictions containing nuclear power plants, however, have integrated emergency preparedness into their normal activities for decades.
Nearly 11,000 people live within a 10-mile radius of Palo Verde in an area referred to as the Emergency Planning Zone (EPZ) because of the possibility of direct radiation exposure during a nuclear accident. The mostly agricultural land stretching in a 50-mile radius around the plant (but including Phoenix) is referred to as the Ingestion Pathway Zone, an area in which food, dairy products, and water could be contaminated with radiation.
Specific issues
- Thousands of people will require evacuation and decontamination in the event of a nuclear power plant accident, and much of this responsibility will fall to emergency services, public health, and human services agencies.
- Many people living within the Palo Verde EPZ are elderly and/or disabled and may require additional assistance during an evacuation or decontamination process.
The practice
The Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES) conducted preparedness activities and exercises to assure that vulnerable populations living in the EPZ will be assisted properly during a radiological emergency.
DES, the state’s human services agency, has mapped the residences of vulnerable populations living within 5, 10, 15, and 50 miles of the plant in order to quickly identify them and their needs during an emergency. The response team has also developed a plan to help the vulnerable populations living in the EPZ prepare for a disaster. Activities include:
- Forming a response team to address the needs of vulnerable populations. Staff from Child Protective Services, Adult Protective Services, and staff providing services to individuals with developmental disabilities formed an emergency response team for these people Services the team is prepared and trained to offer include:
- Helping people with evacuation and registration at a Reception and Care Center (RCC)
- Assisting people with the decontamination process
- Facilitating transport to a shelter or group home if needed.
- Holding an exercise to test response to radioactive contamination. In March 2011, the agency's preparedness team participated in a full-scale, federally evaluated exercise revolving around several simulated events and a radiological emergency at Palo Verde. The exercise simulated a release of radioactive particles, leading to potential contamination of people, food, and drinking water. Activities included:
- Instituting control measures to prevent people from eating or drinking contaminated food and water
- Communicating the health effects of radiation exposure
- Distributing potassium iodide from the state and national stockpile
- Coordinating response efforts with CDC
- Providing support for local health agencies and hospitals
- Testing establishment of an RCC at an area high school.
What made this practice possible?
- Cooperation between a variety of partners, including state and local government agencies, volunteers, and federal personnel to provide services and mobilize resources
- Coordination of emergency response plans, public facilities, and other resources at the state, county, and local level, including plans to respond to the needs of at-risk individuals living within the EPZ
Results
Response team formation and the annual exercises testify to a growing partnership between state and local agencies in responding to the needs of at-risk populations during a nuclear power plant accident.