Agenda - 04-02-2002-10a - Laserfiche WebLink

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4 * Draft Letter of Invitation April 3, 2002 Subject: Your Attendance Requested: Regional Planning for Terrorism Dear .............. .. On behalf of the Orange and Chatham County Boards of Commissioners,you are invited to a conference to address emergency planning and other aspects of risks related to possible terrorism in the Triangle area. The meeting will be held at 7:30 PM on May 2nd at the William Friday Center in Chapel Hill. Since September 11th,there have been broad efforts across the nation to rethink security and planning strategies for emergencies caused by terrorism. A number of discussions between local emergency management officials in the Triangle have identified serious shortcomings in the present capacity to manage a regional emergency stemming from a nuclear,biological or chemical attack, or an attack on the Shearon Harris nuclear power facility. The May 2nd conference represents the initiation of a systematic regional approach to improving emergency planning in the event of a terrorist attack, and to identify opportunities to minimize or eliminate risks wherever possible. Orange and Chatham County officials believe that initially focusing on an event with the largest potential impact—an atmospheric release of radioactive material from the Harris facility—will facilitate the process of adapting regional strategies for multi-hazard emergencies with the greatest potential for the loss of life and property. The conference will feature regional emergency response officials and nationally prominent experts in the field of nuclear risks. The importance of addressing regional risks and emergency planning was heightened by FBI warnings in January that terrorists might be planning to attack U.S. nuclear plants. Also, on March 12th it was revealed that federal officials knew in 1995,but did not notify the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,that al-Qaeda operatives were threatening nuclear plants. In addition to state and local elected officials and emergency management personnel,the conference will call together others in related fields, including medical,public health,human services, and transportation. In addition, other stakeholders, such as leaders of educational institutions,will be invited to participate, as will officials from Carolina Power&Light,which operates the Harris nuclear plant, located on the southern edge of the Triangle. The conference is being held in the evening so that the general public will be able to participate.