Radiation emergency drill held near Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant

Virtually all of the eastern half of Rhode Island from Providence down to the East Bay through Warren, Bristol and Little Compton are within a 40-mile radius of Plymouth and the plant.

Emergency crews conduct radiation drill | Turn to 10, 18 Nov 10, Emergency management officials in Rhode Island and Massachusetts held a drill Wednesday to test their response to a mock radiation leak.

The scenario: A magnitude 4.6 earthquake in Southern New England leads to the release of radiation from the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant in Plymouth.Emergency managers, workers and associated personnel from Rhode Island went through the simulation in real time, reacting to the make believe release of radiation — colorless and odorless — carried by the wind in a narrow plume toward the Ocean State
In the scenario, the amount of radiation release is small, but enough to have an impact in certain Rhode Island communities on produce and livestock that feed in open fields.

“It helps us to cross-check how well we are able to accomplish this mission, how well we can continue to provide the best information to the public to take the necessary precautions, if they become necessary, and also the long term recovery of this type of event,” said David Smith, executive director of the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency.

Virtually all of the eastern half of Rhode Island from Providence down to the East Bay through Warren, Bristol and Little Compton are within a 40-mile radius of Plymouth and the plant.

Emergency crews conduct radiation drill | Turn to 10

November 19, 2010 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | safety, USA | antinuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear spin, nuclear weapons, radiation, radioactive, reactor