Survey says many uncertain of correct, safe response to depot leak

This story was published Sat, Nov 18, 2000

By Terry Hudson
Herald staff writer

Almost 40 percent of the people who live near the Umatilla Chemical Depot say they still don't know what to do or would do the wrong thing if there was a chemical emergency at the depot.

That's the finding of the most recent community survey released this week by the Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program.

The numbers are about the same as the last survey in June. Both surveys were conducted by Moore Information, a Portland polling firm.

"There's always been a high recognition of what CSEPP is, but our question was really how prepared are the people," said Tom Worden, a spokesman for Oregon Emergency Management's regional office in Pendleton. "After the survey was taken, there were still some questions about how prepared they were to take specific actions. We found there hadn't been a great deal of improvement from the June survey to this current one."

The latest survey, taken the last week of October, showed 77 percent believe they know what to do, but 23 percent still do not. It also showed 38 percent answered they did not know what to do or would follow recommended safety procedures if they heard a siren alert.

In general, people in the Immediate Response Zone in Oregon would be asked to shelter in place should a chemical emergency occur, while those in Washington would be asked to evacuate.

The zone stretches about 10 miles in all directions from the depot, where 3,717 tons of nerve agent are stored. That area includes about 30,000 people, with less than 1,000 of those being Washington residents in south Benton County.

Worden said one of the major concerns is that a majority - about 55 percent - of the parents of children attending specially equipped school buildings said they would go to their children's schools and try to pick up their children, rather than leaving them at school during an emergency. The schools are protected and use a system that increases air pressure in a portion of the building to keep contaminated air from getting in.

"Going to the schools to get their kids is a natural desire," Worden said. "The fact is the parents themselves may be in danger if they go to the schools. They need to take care of themselves. The kids in the overpressurized schools are going to be safer than anyone else."

Among the most likely to say the don't know what to do are residents between the ages of 18 and 34, Hermiston-area residents and Hispanics. Among these groups, about one in four say they would not know what to do if there were a chemical emergency at the depot.

"This shows we're not getting to the Hispanic population and that we need to expand our outreach to do that," Worden said. "That's going to be one of our big goals in the new media campaign that kicks off Jan. 1. The next survey should give us even more information on which to base decisions."

 

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