Key Issues
Emergency Preparedness Near Nuclear Power Plants
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Experience With Emergency Plans
There has never been the need to activate a nuclear plant emergency preparedness plan to deal with a radiological event. However, local officials have successfully used emergency response plans developed by the nuclear industry in responding to non-nuclear emergencies. All the evacuations were carried out safely.
Three examples:
Coordination, Practice Key to Effectiveness
A 2004 study of large-scale evacuations found that they are “very effective and successfully save lives and reduce the potential number of injuries associated with the hazard.” The finding held true whether the evacuations were planned or ad hoc.3
The study found that close coordination among emergency response entities is an “overwhelming factor” contributing to the success of an evacuation.
Sandia National Laboratories conducted the study for the NRC. Starting with a sample of 230 large-scale evacuations between 1990 and 2003, Sandia selected 50 for detailed case studies. The resulting 50-case sample included five evacuations of more than 100,000 people, ranging from 270,000 to 666,000, both for hurricanes. One of the five was the Sept. 11, 2001, evacuation of lower Manhattan after the attack on the World Trade Center. The 50 detailed case studies also included 33 evacuations dealing with technological hazards. No radiological-related evacuations occurred during the time frame covered by the study.
The study found that close coordination among emergency responders, training and exercises contribute to the effectiveness of evacuations. All 50 communities provided training to their emergency response personnel; 40 percent conducted full-scale exercises.
3 “Identification and Analysis of Factors Affecting Emergency Evacuations,” NUREG/CR-6864, Vol. 1; SAND2004-5901, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, January 2005.
Experience With Emergency Plans
There has never been the need to activate a nuclear plant emergency preparedness plan to deal with a radiological event. However, local officials have successfully used emergency response plans developed by the nuclear industry in responding to non-nuclear emergencies. All the evacuations were carried out safely.
Three examples:
- In October 2007, wildfires ravaged 380,000 acres of California, causing more than $1 billion in damage. Fire destroyed 1,300 homes and prompted the evacuation of 300,000 people in various parts of the state. Emergency responders in the communities around the San Onofre nuclear power plant drew on the relationships and communications links established through their experience in nuclear plant emergency preparedness.
- The evacuation of 10,000 people from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in 1985, following a fire at a city-operated sewage treatment plant that dispersed a cloud of toxic fumes over the city. State and local officials used a draft plan developed for the Duane Arnold nuclear plant.
- The evacuation of 17,000 residents of St. Charles Parish, La., following a leak from a nearby chemical plant in December 1982. State and local officials worked from a draft plan for Entergy’s Waterford 3 nuclear plant, which was not yet operating.
Coordination, Practice Key to Effectiveness
A 2004 study of large-scale evacuations found that they are “very effective and successfully save lives and reduce the potential number of injuries associated with the hazard.” The finding held true whether the evacuations were planned or ad hoc.3
The study found that close coordination among emergency response entities is an “overwhelming factor” contributing to the success of an evacuation.
Sandia National Laboratories conducted the study for the NRC. Starting with a sample of 230 large-scale evacuations between 1990 and 2003, Sandia selected 50 for detailed case studies. The resulting 50-case sample included five evacuations of more than 100,000 people, ranging from 270,000 to 666,000, both for hurricanes. One of the five was the Sept. 11, 2001, evacuation of lower Manhattan after the attack on the World Trade Center. The 50 detailed case studies also included 33 evacuations dealing with technological hazards. No radiological-related evacuations occurred during the time frame covered by the study.
The study found that close coordination among emergency responders, training and exercises contribute to the effectiveness of evacuations. All 50 communities provided training to their emergency response personnel; 40 percent conducted full-scale exercises.
3 “Identification and Analysis of Factors Affecting Emergency Evacuations,” NUREG/CR-6864, Vol. 1; SAND2004-5901, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, January 2005.
