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Officials unprepared for depot accident, new state study saysThis story was published Fri, Jul 28, 2000
HERMISTON - Emergency operations managers in Umatilla, Morrow and Benton counties are vastly unprepared to handle an accident at the Umatilla Chemical Depot, according to a new study. The independent review examined Oregon Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program's management. Gov. John Kitzhaber called for the investigation after a siren was accidentally activated Dec. 30. Kitzhaber wanted to know what was wrong with the Oregon's CSEPP management system, according to Madhu Beriwal, of Innovative Emergency Management, Inc., the contractor hired by the state to conduct the study. Beriwal interviewed the various emergency operations managers involved in the CSEPP program in Morrow and Umatilla counties in Oregon, Benton County in Washington, and the state officials in Oregon and Washington. Part of Benton County across the Columbia River in Washington was not included in the study. She also talked to CSEPP employees, Army personnel, county commissioners, fire chiefs, sheriffs and Oregon State Police. More than 100 of those same people crowded into a room Wednesday at the National Guard Armory to listen results of Beriwal's investigation. She started the day with an apology. "I'm sorry," she said. "Many of you have become my friends, and I hope that remains. I was hired to do an independent study of the system and that's what I did." Beriwal said she knew there were problems with the emergency management program even before she started the study in May. "But I didn't know how many, or the pervasiveness of the problems," she added. Beriwal said one of the main problems with the emergency management program is that nobody seems to want to take responsibility. Budgeting the federal money doled out to the program participants also was difficult for many of the program managers. "That's a problem that everybody who is federally funded has," Beriwal said. "People are waiting until they have the money, then rushing the planning." The planning should all be done ahead of time, she said. Umatilla County nearly lost $375,000 set aside to protect Good Shepherd Medical Center because of a lack of planning, Beriwal pointed out. The funds were approved in 1995, but no planning for the project began until 1997, when the Army reviewed the hospital's needs and recommended a design. But Good Shepherd officials rejected the Army's plan because bathroom vents would have to be closed off during a chemical release, which could cause odor problems. The Army redesigned the system, raising the costs from about $200,000 to more than $2 million, and it still didn't meet the standards. "At that time someone needed to step in and say, look, if a chemical release happens and we have to use the pressurization unit, we can put up with a little odor," Beriwal said. But no one did, the five-year procurement for the funds lapsed, and the $375,000 was returned to the U.S. Treasury Department. Beriwal said the Federal Emergency Management Agency "scrounged around and found it again," but that money had to be taken away from another project. Casey Beard, Morrow County emergency operations manager, and Umatilla County Commissioner Dennis Doherty came to the meeting with similar plans to fix the problem. Both would like to organize a board comprised of county commissioners, area fire chiefs and other emergency operations managers to oversee CSEPP operations. All CSEPP agencies would answer to the board, which could keep a closer eye on the operation's of the separate entities and ensure people were collaborating effectively. Beriwal liked the idea. "The board would make policy decisions and set long-term goals, but wouldn't get involved in day-to-day operations," Beriwal said. Beard said that although nothing is set in stone, things are moving in the right direction. | |
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