San Clemente Times
Eyes on SC
February 18, 2010
Vol. 5, Issue 7, February 18–24, 2010
THE LATEST: Emergency Planning Coordinator Jen Tucker approached council Tuesday with a detailed report concerning the Multi-Hazard Plan for the city of San Clemente. The presentation of the report—spurred mostly from the recent accidental emergency siren’s sounding at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) and the fact that the plant is still moving forward with the startup of the Unit 2 steam generator—offered a glimpse of what it would be like should the city and its residents be confronted with disaster.
“As much as I wish the sirens had not gone off, we really need to take this as a window of opportunity to get people informed and ready in the event of an emergency,” Tucker said.
Tucker detailed 11 Hazard Specific Annexes that included nuclear, earthquake, hazardous materials, storm/floods, wild land fire, mass casualty, civil unrest, marine oil spill, water system, tsunami and terrorism. However, the backdrop for this presentation dealt more with Annex A, which is nuclear in scope.
In the face of a nuclear threat from SONGS, evacuation plans are based on the current road structure and the 2011 population estimate, which incorporates recently developed areas. It was interesting to note that evacuation utilizes controlled traffic on Interstate 5 and El Camino Real as primary evacuation routes. Regarding I-5, plans are in place to set up traffic control points at numerous exits that push traffic northbound with no southbound traffic coming from the El Toro Y except for emergency vehicles, and no northbound traffic heading in from Oceanside.
Tucker reassured Council and all those present at Tuesday’s meeting that a team of qualified personnel is constantly being trained and is ready for the challenge ahead should something of this nature ever unfold.
Following the presentation, Gary Headrick of San Clemente Green, and Lyn Harris Hicks of the Coalition for Responsible and Ethical Environmental Decisions (CREED) were just two of several people who approached the dais with their concerns over SONGS. Headrick even offered council a “leaked” document from upper-level management at SONGS that itemized safety infractions detailed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Headrick again asked for Council support of a resolution calling for the delay of Unit 2’s startup so people could receive their potassium iodide tablets and “really bone-up on their awareness of what to do in case of an emergency,” he said.
Tucker maintained that the tablets are stockpiled and a distribution plan is being formulated. Potassium iodide tablets protect the thyroid gland from only one type of radiation.
WHAT’S NEXT: Overall, the report from Tucker was well received, according to councilmember Lori Donchak. Moving forward, Tucker will implement more community outreach and awareness programs so residents know exactly what to do in case of an emergency at all levels. “What’s important is that we protect the population and get them as prepared as possible should anything ever happen,” Tucker said. She even went on to say that Emergency Planning will publish its annual Ever Ready SONGS mailer this spring, a full season ahead of its usual summertime distribution. The startup of Unit 2 is expected to go through as planned on Feb. 18, according to plant officials.
FIND OUT MORE: www.sce.com/songs
—David Zimmerle
