LOCAL
Wednesday, January 14, 2004
FEMA antes up
for project
By JEANNINE KORANDA
of the East Oregonian
jkoranda@eastoregonian.com
HERMISTON — Ask and ye
shall receive. It worked for the Oregon Evacuation Infrastructure Project
in Hermiston.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced Tuesday
afternoon it was awarding an additional $3 million to the Chemical Stockpile
Emergency Preparedness Program for phase II of the evacuation project.
CSEPP officials were disappointed in December when FEMA doled out
$4.1 million to CSEPP projects but declined to provide the additional $3
million for the evacuation plan, saying it needed further assessment and
review of all alternatives and traffic management strategies. A written statement
announcing the funding said it was justified by preliminary data from an
on-going technical study that incorporates evacuation into emergency plans.
“The preliminary findings of this study lead us to the conclusion
that for some chemical accident scenarios, moving to a balanced approach
using both evacuation and sheltering-in-place will reduce public risk,” said
Michael Brown, under secretary for emergency preparedness and response with
FEMA.
FEMA previously put $1.5 million into phase I of the evacuation project,
which funded traffic signal upgrades and traffic monitoring cameras at key
Hermiston intersections. The second phase will include infrastructure improvements,
focused around Elm Street and Diagonal Boulevard.
The additional funding for the evacuation project brings the total
amount allocated to CSEPP projects during the past year up to about $13 million.
Other projects have included first responder medical equipment, tone alert
radios, a 450 megahertz radio system, mobile communication enhancements,
training, respiratory protection equipment and in-room filters.
Previously, the planned main response to an incident at the Umatilla
Chemical Depot, which stores VX nerve agent, GB saran, and mustard gas, was
sheltering-in place. Proponents of the evacuation plan argued that while
shelter-in place might work for some, it was not comprehensive enough. For
example, what if a disaster occurred while the Umatilla County Fair was in
session, or during the weekend when shoppers were out and about? Morrow County
Commissioner Ray Graves asked previously.
However, FEMA did not give the evacuation project a complete green
light with Tuesday’s announcement. The agency determined that before funding
phase III of the project, which would provide further road enhancements,
a detailed technical analysis of phase III must be completed, coupled with
a cost/benefit analysis of phases I and II. The further study is intended
to insure that all elements of the $6 million phase III would substantially
decrease risk to the community.
If Phase III is funded, it would bring the total amount spent on
the evacuation project up to $10.5 million.
CSEPP has the support of Oregon’s congressional delegation.
“This funding is imperative to support the people of Hermiston as
they work to improve safety and evacuation procedures,” U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden
said of the announced funding. “I commend FEMA and the U.S. Army for dedicating
these funds and look forward to working with them in the future to ensure
the public is fully prepared as we move toward agent incineration at the
Umatilla Depot.”
The Umatilla Chemical Depot, which stores 3,717 tons of chemical
weapons or about 12 percent of the national stockpile, is slated to start
incineration operations in the spring.