If disaster strikes, we are ready. While nuclear plants are built to withstand natural disasters and other emergencies, each facility also has an emergency plan developed with one goal in mind: to protect our communities and employees. The federal government approves these plans, and plants test them frequently to identify areas of improvement.
Expect the Best, Plan for the Worst
- The best emergency response comes from mutual cooperation and planning. Plant operators use their knowledge about a facility’s design and operation to craft an emergency plan that meets requirements set by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Operators also work with State and local governments to develop offsite emergency plans, including coordination with first responders like police, firefighters and paramedics. The offsite plans are approved by the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
- These nuclear plant emergency plans are considered the “gold standard” in response planning and provide value outside of the nuclear industry. Local officials have used portions of nuclear plant emergency plans to respond to natural and man-made hazards affecting their communities.
Emergency Plans Are Constantly Updated and Tested
- Nuclear plants conduct periodic emergency response training and drills. Every two years, each plant exercises its emergency response plan with State and local government agencies. These exercises are evaluated by the NRC and FEMA. Following an exercise, the response performance undergoes an in-depth critique by both participants and federal evaluators to identify areas for improvement.
- Emergency plans continually evolve to incorporate lessons learned from plant and industry events. For example, in response to the Fukushima accident in 2011, the industry developed strategies to maintain plants in a safe condition following an extreme external event, such as a severe earthquake or flood. It also established two regional support centers with equipment that can be trucked or airlifted to a site. Plans have also been strengthened through changes based on learnings from other disasters such as hurricanes and the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.