ML20058D794
| ML20058D794 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Indian Point  |
| Issue date: | 07/23/1982 |
| From: | Freudenberg N NEW YORK, NY |
| To: | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML20058D615 | List: |
| References | |
| ISSUANCES-SP, NUDOCS 8207270366 | |
| Download: ML20058D794 (2) | |
Text
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O I
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION ATOMIC SAFETY AND LICENSING BOARD Before Administrative Judges Louis J.
Carter, Chair Frederick J.'Shon Dr. Oscar H.
Paris
______________________________________________x 4
In the Matter of:
Docket Nos.
CONSOLIDATED EDISON COMPANY OF NEW YORK 50-247 SP Inc.
(Indian Point, Unit No. 2),
.50-286 SP POWER AUTHORITY OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK (Indian Point, Unit No. 3)
July 23, 1982
x Testimony Submitted on Behalf of "New York City Council" Intervenors By NICHOLAS FREUDENBERG This Document Has Been Filed By:
NATIONAL EMERGENCY CIVIL LIBERTIES COMMITTEE 175 Fifth Avenue Suite 712 New York, New York 10010 (212) 673-2040 CRAIG KAPLAN, SPECIAL COUNSEL l
8207270366 820723 PDR ADOCK 05000247 i
T PDR
n
/m V
V Testimony on the Adequacy of New York City's Ability to Evacuate Population Rapidly On August 7, 1980, a propane gas truck developed a leak while crossing the George Washington Bridge.
Since the explosion of a propane gas truck can create an explosive fireball an eighth of a mile in diameter, it was imperative to evacuate a considerable portion of the population rapidly.
Approximately 2,000 people were evacuated from several apartment buildings on 178th Street between Fort Washington and Haven Avenues.
However, the process of evacuation revealed some.of the problems of moving' people quickly in ahgerogeneous, densely populated area.
Some of the problems were:
1.
Poor coordination between the police and fire departments.
The two agencies had clearly not practiced evacuation plans and had no organized plan.
2.
Failure to take populations special needs into account.
Among the residents of that neighborhood are people who speak only Spanish, Greek, Russian or other languages.
Officials were unable to communicate with these people, leading to confusion and delayed response.
A high proportion of elderly in the neighborhood, as well as some handicapped people, means that many have difficuly moving.
There were no special plans to help these people to evacuate.
3*
Police and firefighters lack training in dealing with such emergencies.
People were evacuated to l
street corners which would clearly have been dangerous I
had there been an explosion.
4.
Lack of protocols for dealing with special situations.
Many people returned from shopping or other errands to find their building evacuated. Often these people would not know whether a child or older person who l
had stayed at home had already left or was still l
inside, afraid to open the door.
Several people in this situation were hysterical with fear.
In sum, the propane gas truck incident in Washington Heights demonstrated that New York City does not have the ability to remove several thousand people from one limited neighborhood.
Submitted by:
Nicholas Freudenberg, Washington Heights Health Action Project 21 Bennett Avenue New York, NY 10033 July 15, 1982