Despite flaws, state certifies nuclear emergency plan

Kathryn Casa | Vermont Guardian

Posted February 2, 2005

Serious flaws in the state’s Radiological Emergency Response Plan have not stopped Gov. Jim Douglas' administration from telling federal officials that the plan can work.

But the required annual letter to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) does not certify the efficacy of the plan, according to Vermont Commissioner of Public Safety Kerry Sleeper, who signed the letter.

The state’s top public safety official said his letter expressed concerns about the failure of tone-alert radios in the emergency planning zone around the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant, the need for better siren coverage and an automated telephone notification system, the need for a western evacuation center, and the ability to evacuate schoolchildren during an emergency.

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