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A statement from Disabled Persons Opposed <br /> to Shearon Harris <br /> - Who are we? We are North Carolinians living in this part of the <br /> state. <br /> - Why are we concerned? Because in the event of a nuclear plant <br /> explosion, many persons with disabilities would be in need of <br /> special help. <br /> - What about emergency plans? We feel very strongly that any plan <br /> should be called a "stop-gap" emergency plan or a "pseudo" emer- <br /> gency plan. <br /> - Reasons it won't work: <br /> 1 . Statements from persons at the Three Mile Island disaster re- <br /> veal that rescue persons placed rescue of their families above <br /> all else. So this means we 'd be saved later -- or not at all. <br /> In a study done around the Shoreham plant in New York, a <br /> majority of rescue workers indicated that they would NOT <br /> STAY AROUND. <br /> 2. All plans require that people leave their loved ones in hos- <br /> pitals, rest homes, and nursing homes, to be picked up by <br /> authorities. This is not human nature. One could not leave <br /> a sick child in the hospital, a mother who would give her life <br /> for you in a nursing home. <br /> 3. If elevators were shut off as part of standard evacuation <br /> procedure, many disabled persons would be unable to use stairs. <br /> 4. And what if people are not home if an accident happens? Fire- <br /> men could risk their lives trying to save people who are not <br /> even there. What if persons with disabilities are visiting <br /> from other areas? What if telephone lines do not work? What if <br /> hundreds of people have the flu, like so many people in the <br /> area did last spring? And -- what if persons hard of hearing <br /> can't hear the sirens? <br /> 5. The quality of life in a shelter would be detrimental to <br /> persons with conditions which could require special foods <br /> or equipment, such as diabetes, heart conditions, asthma, <br /> spinal cord injuries. <br /> 6. See comments by Ken Franklin. <br /> Please, let's prevent disabilities. And let's <br /> not let our grandchildren have birth defects <br /> because our children were exposed to radiation. <br /> Ken Franklin, <br /> President, <br /> NC Alliance of Disabled and Concerned Citizens : <br /> "I would hope that this plant never opens as a nuclear <br /> facility. Officials are making certain assumptions about this <br /> situation, but it's their responsibility to protect all the <br /> people. In Russia, schoolchildren were evacuated from Kiev, <br /> which is 80 miles away. Yet here, the limit is only 10 miles. <br /> "I believe very strongly that state officials will not <br /> allocate ambulances. In a crisis, these will be elsewhere. <br /> And retirement centers and nursing homes don't have group <br /> buses as a rule. <br /> "Furthermore, there will be no way of getting to a central <br /> point to be picked up. I am convinced that an evacuation plan <br /> would not work. " <br /> Write to: Disabled Persons Opposed to Shearon Harris, Coordinating Office <br /> Suite 152, 95 Elliott Rd., Chapel Hill 27514. Donations sincerely appreciated. <br />