EO EDITORIALS
Thursday, January 15, 2004
Federal funds
for evacuation plan is money well spent
Yes, we know it’s hard
to smile on the feds, but this time they deserve it. The Federal Emergency
Management Agency (better known as FEMA) announced this week it will provide
the Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program (better known as CSEPP)
the $3 million needed to implement phase II of a project to prepare for an
evacuation of Hermiston if things go terribly wrong at the Umatilla
Chemical Depot.
The announcement came the day after locals were grumbling again over
the fact the requested money had been omitted in a December federal funding
allotment. FEMA didn’t say no to the funding last month, only that “further
assessment” of the proposal was needed. We should encourage scrutiny of federal
spending, but it’s a lot easier to grumble about it when it’s not headed
in your direction.
Now that the money is approved, both FEMA and local officials deserve
credit for ensuring there is an option to sheltering in place. The theory
on sheltering in place is that it’s safest to seal one room in a home or
business and remain there until the danger is passed. That makes sense, but
only for people who are inside or nearby when an alert is sounded. As local
officials have noted, what if the county fair or a sporting event is under
way when a disaster occurs?
That’s why it’s more sensible to have two emergency plans in place
that take into consideration people both inside and outside. When FEMA announced
the funding for phase II of the Oregon Evacuation Infrastructure Project
in Hermiston, Michael Brown, under secretary for emergency preparedness and
response, noted: “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.”
And it’s right that the federal government should provide funding
for both.
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 goal is to be able to
control traffic flows during an emergency to get people out of town as quickly
and safely as possible.
Clearly the most important element of the CSEPP program is to ensure
the safety of area residents in the unlikely event of a chemical accident
on the depot. But while working toward the goal it’s been a funding blessing
that has improved emergency operations in a number of ways. The federal government
has allocated $13 million to CSEPP projects in the past year, which is paying
for first responder medical equipment, tone alert radios, a 450 megahertz
radio system, mobile communication enhancements, training, respiratory protection
equipment and in-room filters.
Those projects provide peace of mind as incineration nears, but they
also will benefit our communities for years to come.