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may take water from Jordan Lake in the future. We will do what we need to do because we <br /> must adhere to the regulations, but we do that in a sense of community. We ask that others do <br /> exactly the same thing when it comes to understanding the potential impacts of a major release <br /> from the Shearon Harris facility from whatever cause. The cause is not the relevant part here. <br /> The reality then is that, as people who work with water, we are concerned that we get the folks <br /> in the community, and I say the community as a whole, meaning this Research Triangle area, <br /> together to understand the implications of this on our water supply. <br /> So we have essentially two specific requests. One is to have Progress Energy to <br /> have a thorough response to the questions that we posited in our letter to them on December <br /> 6`h. The second is that we seek leadership from the North Carolina Division of Radiation <br /> Protection and Environmental Health in developing a coordinated response plan among all of <br /> the water suppliers; and that safety criteria for both the intermediate and the long-term use of <br /> affected water systems be given consideration. And until those questions have been answered, <br /> we as a region are vulnerable, not just for the potential health effects that occur as a result of <br /> things like you heard Steven talking about, but as a result of the water, which may be <br /> contaminated, or the fact that we may not even have any water to drink. <br /> So, with that I close and ask that you give some consideration to these points. <br /> I'd also like to note that I have another hat that I wear for Orange County. I'm on the Orange <br /> County Board of Health. And they are also concerned with the public health issues associated <br /> with the public water supplies obviously. So they asked me to express their support for the <br /> issues which have been raised and the recommendations that OWASA has offered here in <br /> terms of trying to get information out. We thank you for the time and attention that you pay to <br /> this and we hope that in the long term that we never have to worry about whether or not we <br /> have a good water supply to drink. Thanks. <br /> f. Emergency Management Planning — Nick Waters <br /> Before I start, I would like to recognize and have all of the emergency <br /> responders, fire, and law enforcement personnel stand up (applause). We are going to broaden <br /> the scope of this conversation a little bit, and we are going to talk about some things regionally. <br /> You will hear some things that we have identified as shortfalls in our own plan. We will point <br /> these things out and ask if they are considerations in your plan, and then we will talk some <br /> about what kind of regional strategies we need to be concerned about. I am confident, as we go <br /> through this, that you will be able to apply these strategies to your own individual concerns and <br /> local plans. Our presenter tonight is going to be Major Kent McKenzie. Kent is the Deputy <br /> Director and he is in charge of the Emergency Medical Services and Special Operations <br /> Divisions of our office. Kent has been in the EMS field for about 15 years and is a graduate of <br /> Duke, but we do not hold that against him. Here is Kent, thank you. <br /> Kent McKenzie: Thank you for your interest and attention tonight. The intent of <br /> my segment is not to frighten, but to provide you with information and make you aware of risks <br /> in our region other than natural disasters. My discussion tonight will not consider hurricanes, <br /> tornadoes, or other severe weather. However, the same planning strategies may apply to all <br /> risks. This presentation will identify some technological risks in the region, including terrorism; <br /> point out a few problems associated with evacuation; and provide insight into emergency <br /> planning situations. The information in my presentation results from shortcomings found in a <br /> review of our multi-hazard plan. The identification of these shortcomings may benefit you and <br /> have application in regional planning. When most people think of risks, there are some <br /> significant ones, which are often overlooked. We have railroad shipments of extremely <br /> hazardous substances including chemicals such as ammonia, chlorine, and hydrogen cyanide <br /> through our region. Chemicals are also transported over our roadways. Although smaller <br /> amounts of these chemicals are carried by trucks than by rail, the risk of a truck related incident <br /> is more widespread throughout our cities and neighborhoods. Fixed facilities include those that <br />