Entergy Enhances Counties' Emergency Response Plan for Indian Point, Addresses Issues Cited in Witt Report

Entergy initiated several years ago numerous significant projects to enhance the four counties' emergency response plans following its purchase of the Indian Point nuclear power plants. The projects address deficiencies in the county plans noted in the Witt Report and by Entergy in its due diligence of the site before purchasing the plants in 2000 and 2001.

Compiled in 2002 by former FEMA director James Lee Witt, at the request of New York State Governor George Pataki, the Witt Report assessed emergency planning at Indian Point. Although the report was faulted by several nationally recognized emergency planning experts for its conclusion that the county plans were inadequate to protect the public, and lacked a fundamental understanding of nuclear plant technology, it provided some useful insights for making plan improvements.

Entergy is responsible for emergency planning on the property of the Indian Point plants, including responding to on-site events and equipment damage or failures. This is true for all licensed owners of commercial nuclear power plants in the country.

Four counties, including Westchester, Rockland, Orange, and Putnam, have areas within the Indian Point 10-mile emergency planning zone and are responsible for emergency planning in those areas. Entergy provides the funding and technical expertise that the counties have applied to the development of their plans that are also used for all-hazards response.

The 10-mile emergency planning zone was established for all commercial nuclear reactors by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to help local public agencies protect residents from exposure to harmful amounts of radioactivity in the event of a serious accident causing a release of radioactivity. Based on relevant scientific studies and actual emergency planning and radiological experience, a 10-mile plan provides a large safety margin as radiation concentration would significantly diminish as it travels away from the plant, similar to the way smoke dissipates as it moves further from a smoke stack or chimney.

The improvements listed below are a result of recommendations from internal Entergy assessments, best practices from private and governmental organizations, the Witt Report, and a third-party Independent Expert Task Force assembled to assess the Witt Report and its Indian Point response plan findings.

• Installed upgraded radiation monitoring throughout the Indian Point 10-mile emergency planning zone
• Designed and installed an automated siren control and performance monitoring system for the soon to be replaced current siren system.
• Installed automatic reverse speed dialing call-out system in Putnam and Orange counties
• Upgraded the radiation dose assessment system, using a Class A meteorology static plume model to determine possible radiation levels off-site
• Installed a plant-status computer and display system in Indian Point's Emergency Operations Facility (EOF) with accessibility via computer from authorized ports
• Currently upgrading executive hotline communications system for emergency communications with the four county executives (in progress)
• Currently upgrading Radiological Emergency Management Telecommunications system (RECS) (in progress)

• A new siren and alert notification system being installed this year ($10 million)
• Designed and installed New York State's emergency information computer portal using Disaster LAN software ($250,000)
• Relocated and Installed Public Information Center for use by the counties and Entergy at the recently built, state-of-the-art Hudson Valley Transportation Management Center in Hawthorne, NY ($250,000)
• Purchased portable hand-held radiation monitoring instruments for use by local government agencies
• Installed new boat dock at Indian Point for use by Coast Guard and N.Y. Naval Militia, providing security protection for Indian Point along the Hudson River ($400,000)
• Purchased high-efficiency portable portal radiation monitoring instruments for county reception centers
• Added new reception centers to eliminate sibling separation in Westchester County
• Purchased computerized emergency management resources system (Visual Risk)
• Incorporated automated plume display system using Visual Risk
• Installed video conferencing capability for Orange, Putnam, Rockland, and Westchester Counties, and N.Y.S. Emergency Management Office
• Completed major upgrades in emergency planning communications materials, including brochures, web sites, direct e-mails, identification and communication with local emergency planning leaders
• Provided Westchester, Rockland, Orange, and Putnam counties with expert staff assistance to develop improved emergency plans, procedures, training (on-going)
• Designed and constructed emergency operations center for City of Peekskill
• Currently upgrading West Point radiological emergency response plan (in progress)
• Purchased high-band radio communications equipment for Orange County's Highland Falls / Fort Montgomery area for police, fire, and EMS interoperability communications
• Purchased Risk Management Planning Safe School computer system as demonstration project for a Rockland County high school
• Aggressively performing public outreach for numerous federal, county, and local government officials and schools, including tours of Indian Point Energy Center (on-going)
• Assigned a full-time Fire Chief, qualified to conduct outreach and emergency training for police, fire, and EMTs (on-going)
• Funded potassium iodide distribution efforts in Orange County

• Conducted seminars on radiological emergency response for physicians, school nurses, and school administrators in cooperation with N.Y. Medical College (initial seminars complete)
• Conducted federal Force on Force military style security demonstration project at Indian Point
• Conducting integrated security and radiological emergency planning exercise (in planning)
• Funded radiological-emergency training for bus drivers in Orange and Westchester counties

• Completed siren sound propagation study to ensure full audio coverage of the 10-mile emergency planning zone
• Performed major update and upgrade of the Evacuation Travel-Time Study, including use of science-based telephone surveys to obtain relevant population lifestyle and logistical data and measuring impact of shadow evacuations (people from areas that have not been instructed to evacuate adding to traffic on roads used for evacuations)
• Upgrading Traffic Control Plans for four counties (in progress)
• Developing accelerated emergency response scenarios (in progress)

Contact:
Jim Steets
(914) 272-3545 - office
(914) 671-0457 - cell
jsteets@entergy.com

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