Kewaunee County will participate in an Ingestion Pathway emergency response exercise Sept. 19 and 20 with Point Beach Nuclear Plant in Two Rivers. The exercise will be evaluated offsite by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
During this exercise, the public may see emergency teams out and about. They may also hear a test of the siren system and see a number of federal or governmental vehicles in the area.
Federal regulations require local and state government agencies, in whose jurisdiction a nuclear plant is located, to biennially demonstrate that they can protect the health and safety of people potentially at risk within the 10-mile radius of the plant.
The reception center portion of this exercise was evaluated by FEMA in June. The reception center is where local populations, evacuated from the emergency planning zone around the plant, go to be monitored for any radiological contamination and obtain any further assistance they may need during their relocation. The reception center for Kewaunee County is Luxemburg-Casco Intermediate School.
According to Kewaunee County Emergency Management Director Tracy Nollenberg, more than 100 employees and volunteers from various agencies, including the sheriff’s department, have and will participate in this year’s exercise. Similar staff operations will occur simultaneously in Manitowoc County by emergency management officials, as well as Madison, where state government response is coordinated.
The emergency response plan can be implemented in the county for any type of disaster, including tornado, chemical spills and floods.
“It is highly unlikely we will ever have to implement the complex procedures in the county’s Emergency Operations Plan for a nuclear plant incident,” Nollenberg said. “However, practicing the principles we would apply to respond to a nuclear plant accident pays dividends in our overall emergency preparedness for all hazards.”
For comments or more information about the drill, call Nollenberg at 920-845-9700.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: County takes part in emergency drill Sept. 19-20
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