JACKSON – For many years, proponents of alternative energy have spoken about nuclear power as a safe, highly regulated form of energy. With each nuclear power plant emitting steam as its primary byproduct, nuclear power has been touted as one of the cleanest forms of power.
However, any perceived positives associated with nuclear energy come with a number of known risks as well.
With concerns ranging from the safe disposal of nuclear waste, which can remain radioactive for thousands of years, to the potential danger of a nuclear reactor leak, communities in the immediate vicinity of the 104 active nuclear reactors in the United States have been left to prepare for the worst.
Ocean County is home to the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station in Lacey Township.
On July 24, Jackson Liberty High School in Jackson, which is outside the nuclear power plant’s 10-mile emergency planning zone, was transformed into a radiological reception center to help prepare volunteer groups and county emergency organizations that would respond during a nuclear emergency.
The drill was overseen and evaluated by representatives of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and performed by the Jackson Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), elements of Jackson’s fire companies, first aid squads, and the township’s Office of Emergency Management.
The Ocean County Sheriff’s Office, the Ocean County Office of Emergency Management, the New Jersey State Police Radiological Emergency Response Planning and Tactical Unit, and the Monmouth County Health Department also participated in the drill.
According to Jackson police Sgt. Christopher Parise, the primary focus of the exercise was to evaluate how efficiently local volunteers would be able to “register, monitor, and if necessary, decontaminate evacuees” in the event of an emergency.
“Probably the best way to think about it is that before anybody is ready for emergency housing after an evacuation, they have to go to one of these locations,” Parise said. “We are either going to confirm they are clean, or do everything we can to decontaminate them or help them seek proper medical attention.”
Parise serves as the township’s radiological officer.
Jackson Liberty High School is one of six reception centers in the immediate area. Lakewood High School is another such center.
“One of the great things about a drill like this is that it teaches the volunteers how to use the radiological equipment properly,” Parise said.
According to William Cullen, the deputy director for Region 2 of FEMA’s Radiological Emergency Preparedness Program, there are 20 evacuation zones in the 10-mile area surrounding the Oyster Creek nuclear plant.
Of those zones, Cullen said, five would head to Jackson Liberty High School.
“(This drill was) based on the county’s ability to respond to some kind of a release from the power plant,” Cullen said. “It’s just (to boost) overall preparedness for if something happens at Oyster Creek.”
Parise said the July 24 drill at the high school was based on a low-level emergency, the type of situation that might typically result from a radiation leak.
“There are different (levels of response required) in any emergency like this,” Parise said. “If there is any type of emergency, whether it was a release (of radiation) or not, that’s when we would start setting up the evacuation.”
Citing fluctuating population estimates in the 10-mile evacuation zone around Oyster Creek depending on the time of year, Cullen said Oyster Creek’s evacuation plan has to deal with a number of variables.
According to FEMA estimates, the evacuation area could contain about 129,000 people during the winter and 244,000 people in the peak summer months.
“Ocean County is a pretty popular place during the summer, so the population in the area can change depending on the time of day and year,” Cullen said.
He said the large group of volunteers manning the Jackson Liberty High School reception center performed very well during the drill.
“(Oyster Creek uses) a lot of volunteer organizations, which is fairly unique to that location and they do an outstanding job,” Cullen said. “It was quite evident they were very well trained. Overall they did a very good job.”