FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE MAY 1, 2003
Contact: Lisa Rainwater van Suntum, Ph.D.
IPSEC Project Coordinator
212.544.0045 (office)
646.281.4426 (cell)
FIRST RESPONDERS CANNOT GUARANTEE SAFETY OF RESIDENTS
Over
175 first responders within the 10- and 50-mile radius of Indian Point sign
petition stating, “We are
concerned that even our best efforts may not be enough to adequately protect the
public health and safety of the citizens of this region.”
IPSEC has gathered over 175 signatures from First Responders (police officers, fire fighters, EMS workers, transportation workers, school administrators, educators, doctors and nurses) in a petition stating that these professionals cannot ensure that residents within the 10- and 50-mile radius of the Indian Point nuclear facility can be protected by the emergency evacuation plans.
The petitions will be handed over to FEMA, as it deliberates its response to the actions of SEMO and the surrounding four 10-mile radius emergency planning zone counties (Westchester, Putnam, Orange and Putnam) which refused to sign-off on the emergency evacuation plans earlier this year. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will also receive a copy of the petitions.
“These signatures carry a lot of weight because they come from the backbone of our towns and villages,” says Lisa Rainwater van Suntum, IPSEC Project Coordinator. “It is very disturbing to see that the very people charged with protecting the population don’t see this as a workable evacuation plan. FEMA must take this seriously—it is time for them to take action and demand closure of this nuclear power plant.”
“If any sort of explosion or radiation release happens at Indian Point, the roads will get so jammed you won't be able to leave, it will be one big bottleneck,” says Herbert Silverstein, Fire Commissioner of the Hillcrest Fire Department. “We have an expression ‘bend over and kiss your rear end goodbye’.”
Madelyn Enright, a bus driver for the Public Schools of Tarrytowns comments, “I live near there, in Ossining. The Evacuation plan won’t work anyway. Even with regular traffic it’s impossible on the roads. A few bus drivers might go in and out of the 10-mile evacuation zone, but most won’t.”
Gary Wren, Fire Commissioner of the Hillcrest Fire Department, explains, “If anything happens you're going to be stuck. You're not going to get out of here.”
The concern over these plans is logistic as well as psychological. Ellen Kaplan is a school psychologist for the Public Schools of Tarrytowns. “In stressful times such as a nuclear disaster it becomes psychologically very difficult for most individuals to follow a planned evacuation route. The need to get to one’s loved ones, especially children, is overwhelming. I believe that most parents would attempt to protect their children at any expense. I personally do not believe we would be successful at evacuating following any particular plan due to the powerful reactions of people during an emergency of that magnitude,” says Kaplan.
While the owner/operator of Indian Point – Entergy - continues their massive ad campaign, instilling public fear of higher electrical bills if the plants were closed, First Responder Silverstein concludes, “Some people say if they get rid of the plant our prices will go up – what’s more important your life or your money?”
FEMA is expected to make a decision as to whether to certify the Indian Point evacuation plans on Friday, May 2, 2003.
###
Petition
RE:
INDIAN POINT RADIOLOGICAL EVACUATION PLAN
We, the undersigned are First Responders. We include Police Officers, Fire Fighters, EMS Workers, Transportation Workers, School Administrators, Educators, Doctors and Nurses in the communities within the 10-mile Emergency Evacuation Zone or the 50-mile peak injury zone around the Indian Point Nuclear Power Facility.
The Report by James Lee Witt Associates commissioned by Governor Pataki, has clearly determined that the existing emergency evacuation plan is inadequate to protect the public health and safety. The four surrounding counties -- Westchester, Rockland, Orange and Putman -- and the State of New York have refused to certify the evacuation plan because of the broad range of deficiencies identified.
We will do our utmost to make sure that the evacuation plan is executed as best as is humanly possible. However, the large population, the lack of infrastructure, and the limited resources of this region make it hard to foresee a successful evacuation without casualties, regardless of the cause of a significant radiological release.
We are concerned that even our best efforts may not be enough to adequately protect the public health and safety of the citizens of this region.
In conclusion, we request that the Federal Emergency Management Agency ("FEMA") and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission ("NRC") not certify the emergency evacuation.