Facility begins process to obtain final OK for destruction of VX

By Patricia L. Pastore/Tribune-Star
Story created Feb 25, 2005

The Newport Chemical Agent Destruction Facility begins its 45-day pre-operational demonstration today, a process necessary to obtain final approval to begin destruction of nerve agent VX .

Meanwhile, emergency responders around the Newport area say they are ready for any accident that might lead to a release of the nerve agent.

Jeff Brubaker, government site project manager, said on Feb. 15 that destruction of the deadly nerve agent is expected to begin in the spring.

Sources have told the Tribune-Star that the required pre-op tests start today, although the Army would not confirm or deny the information.

"It's a matter of safety," said Terry Arthur, Army spokeswoman. "Just because people who work at the depot go out and discuss it, I can't breach security."

Emergency responders in Parke, Vermillion and Fountain counties say they are prepared in the unlikely event of an escape of the substance from the Newport Chemical Depot.

"We are ready," said Darla Eslinger, director of the Parke County Emergency Operations Center. "Most of the equipment we need is here, training is ongoing to keep our responders in a state of constant readiness and citizens throughout the county are educated to deal with such an emergency."

State law has required the Army and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to fund and develop a plan to provide sufficient training, coordination and equipment for state and local emergency response personnel needed to respond to the possible release of VX nerve agent and other harmful substances from the Newport Chemical Depot.

An evacuation plan also is in place as required.

The Newport Depot is about 30 miles north of Terre Haute.

Since the Army gave its blessing for the Newport Chemical Depot to continue toward destruction this spring "people are more interested in learning about the Indoor Alert System Radios," Eslinger said.

The radios, available to citizens who live in a five-mile radius of Newport, known as the "Immediate Response Zone," and outlying areas, offer advice on how to deal with emergencies, Eslinger said.

"The public information officers in all three counties are working on a mass media campaign to advise citizens about sheltering in place, evacuation plans and information to parents on how schools will react in the event there is an incident at Newport," she said.

In a release of a VX plume, wind direction might determine if people in Newport shelter in place until the plume passes over or evacuate, and to which direction they are to evacuate, Eslinger said. If time allows, some communities might be told to evacuate and given directions on which way to go to stay out of harm's way, Eslinger said. If there is fallout from a VX plume, people may have to shelter in place until a walkway is decontaminated to remove them safely.

"I don't know how we could be any more ready than we already are," Eslinger said. "We are very well-prepared and ready to protect our citizens."

If an accident should occur at the Chemical Depot, the Newport Alert Notification System will immediately notify the Emergency Operation Centers.

"The NANS system is tested every day," Eslinger said. "The emergency sirens will give a high-low tone to alert anyone outside their home of an incident at the Chemical Depot. The sirens are tested every Wednesday."

Trained first-responders in the counties include members of emergency medical services, fire departments and police departments.

In addition to the notifications systems in place, the Emergency Management Operations Centers are connected with the State Emergency Management Agency and the National Weather Service.

"There is no reason anyone shouldn't receive notification," Eslinger said.

Staff at West Central Community Hospital in Clinton have a team of doctors and nurses trained to deal with anyone who might be exposed to the chemical agent.

Three decontamination mobile units are ready for use if needed and one is assigned to the hospital, Eslinger said.

Vicki Francis, deputy director of the Vermillion County Emergency Operations Center, is confident county responders are in peak condition and are extremely well-trained.

"It's something we've been doing for about 10 years," she said. "They all have specific training to deal with VX and any other type of emergency such as a tornado or hazardous spill on the highways."

Maps in the EOCs show Liberty and Reserve townships are in the Immediate Response Zone in Parke County. In Vermillion County, the townships of Eugene, Helt and Vermillion are in the IRZ.

About 6,000 citizens live in the IRZ in Vermillion County and 9,544 live in the "Protective Action Zone," an area from five to 10 miles radiating from the Chemical Depot.

Both Francis and Eslinger say the Army no longer needs approval from the three counties' boards of commissioners to begin VX neutralization.

"The letters to the state were signed by the commissioners last year when we demonstrated we were ready to do the job," Eslinger said. "We have a mock emergency every year and are graded on our ability to respond just as if it were the real thing."

Parke and Vermillion counties demonstrated their state of readiness last year, Eslinger and Francis both said.


Patricia Pastore can be reached at (812) 231-4271 or pat.pastore@tribstar.com