Public getting message on depot safety

This story was published Sat, Mar 6, 1999

By Theresa Goffredo
Herald Oregon bureau

IRRIGON - Emergency managers have spent years trying to tell residents it's not safe to run away during a lethal nerve agent leak from the Umatilla Chemical Depot.

Instead, the safest form of protection is sheltering at home. And now it would seem more people are getting the message.

"I think people are starting to buy into it," said Dan Knoll, public information officer for Morrow County Emergency Management.

Knoll is backed up in his claim by results of a first-ever public survey taken Thursday after a town meeting.

Only 45 surveys were returned from the 150 people who attended the meeting - that equals about a 30 percent return. Still, the majority of residents answered "shelter in place" when asked what they would do during a chemical release from the depot.

The so-called sheltering in place method means residents closest to the depot find a room in their home and seal up vents and windows with duct tape and towels to prevent any potentially contaminated air getting inside.

Research has shown sealing up a room during a chemical accident "significantly increases" the safety of a home, said Casey Beard, director of Morrow County Emergency Management.

"This will protect you for up to several hours, and it will save your life," Beard said.

And it would seem more people are listening to that advice.

"The meeting helped me understand to shelter in place and not try to drive away and panic," wrote Irrigon resident Carole Statton in her survey.

Thursday's town hall meeting at A.C. Houghton Elementary School was held so residents could learn more about the 3,717 tons of aging chemical weapons stored at the depot eight miles west of Hermiston.

Residents also learned more about the area's Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program, designed to ensure residents living closest to the depot are protected in case of a chemical accident.

Knoll said he conducted the survey to learn more about residents' attitudes toward CSEPP.

 

Copyright 2002 Tri-City Herald. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.