Orange County NC Website
disasters has been a post-disaster consideration. It must be moved to the front, it must be <br /> included in our planning. Our planning must take into account the action or overreaction of <br /> people. And we must develop strategies with the mental health community as to how to plan <br /> and cope with those behaviors. Just take your afternoon ride down the road as an example and <br /> see the people that you meet. They are on your bumper, they cut you off of lane changes, they <br /> race to beat the yellow lights, and if for any reason traffic stalls, you can look around and they <br /> are beating on the steering wheel or the dash with their fists, they are cursing to themselves, or <br /> they go over to the shoulder and speed past everyone. These are the same people that are <br /> going to evacuate patiently and orderly (laughter). <br /> In closing, I want to thank my counterparts, I see several out in the audience, and <br /> I thank them for coming. It is my job to objectively plan and train and respond to disasters in <br /> Orange County in the best way that meets the public good, and that is what this forum is about. <br /> And I want to express my disappointment to our professionals at the state level at Division of <br /> Emergency Management and whoever in the Department of Crime Control and Public Safety <br /> directed their staff to avoid this forum (applause). It seems to me that if their positions were so <br /> defensible and their plan so solid, they would have taken advantage of this opportunity to tell us <br /> that (applause). I want to thank my staff. Eric Griffin is an Emergency Management Specialist <br /> with us and is new on board. He did most of the PowerPoint presentation for us and did a lot of <br /> work in putting this presentation together. And Kent for delivering it in such an eloquent manner <br /> as he normally does. And for you for giving us your attention during this presentation. Now I'd <br /> like to introduce to you the Mayor of Chapel Hill, Kevin Foy (applause). <br /> 4. HOW TO REDUCE RISK <br /> a. Panel Discussion — Kevin Foy, Mayor, Town of Chapel Hill <br /> Well, it is a pleasure to host this forum in Chapel Hill this evening. Thank all of <br /> you very much for coming. One thing I think we have all learned this evening is that we have to <br /> take responsibility for our own futures, for our own health and safety. But it certainly helps to <br /> have enlightened leadership. And, to that end, I think we all owe a sincere debt of gratitude to <br /> the Orange County Commissioners and the Chatham County Commissioners (applause). <br /> These are true leaders who have persisted in the face of serious adverse pressures to bring us <br /> information. That's what they are attempting to do —to bring us the kind of information that we <br /> need to be able to understand what the threat is to our own health, safety, and welfare. So this <br /> is the portion of this program when we are going to engage the panel and ask them to speak in <br /> a little bit more detail and also ask each of you to ask questions. If you would like to ask <br /> questions, there are microphones on both sides of the auditorium, and you also have orange <br /> cards in your packet. Fill out those with your questions and pass them to staff members who <br /> will roam up and down the side. <br /> So, to begin, I'd like to ask members of the panel to elaborate on, to the extent <br /> that you want to, ideas for mitigating risks in this region. And also to ask Dr. Lochbaum and Dr. <br /> Lyman in particular to finish if you have further information to impart. I know that both of you <br /> were cut short. <br /> Mr. Lochbaum: NCWARN, even prior to September 11`h had come up with what <br /> was called a risk reduction plan for the most secure and safest way to store spent fuel at <br /> Shearon Harris. I have looked at that plan and talked with a number of my colleagues about <br /> that and I cannot think of any improvement to make to the plan that NCWARN has other than to <br /> implement it (applause). Basically, what the plan calls for is to move the spent fuel from the <br /> pools into dry casks, but not as it is done in the picture, which is a plant in Virginia where they <br /> are kind of easy to see and kind of easy to hit. But what NCWARN has proposed is to put <br /> berms around them so that each cask is isolated from others so that it would be difficult to get to <br /> if they were successfully attacked. There is a kind of a container used for an additional barrier <br />