Home can be shelter from spill

This story was published Tue, May 8, 2001

By Mary Hopkin
Herald Oregon bureau

IRRIGON - Jan Taylor knows exactly where she would run if a chemical spill occurred near her home.

She has a bathroom, which has no windows, in the center of her Charleston, W.Va., home. It has one small vent near the ceiling.

"I have already cut a piece of plastic to fit over the vent, and I can stand on my toilet and tape it up," Taylor said.

Taylor and Mark Scott of the National Institute for Chemical Studies are experts on sheltering-in-place and shared tips with more than 100 seniors Monday at the Stokes Landing Senior Center in Irrigon.

Sheltering-in-place isn't a new concept, and it doesn't just pertain to communities near the Umatilla Chemical Depot, Taylor said.

One thing is certain, however. Sheltering-in-place can save your life, she said.

For example, in Labarre, La., in 1961, 30 tons of chlorine were spilled near the house of a young family. After about 15 to 20 minutes, the father panicked and took his young son outside while the rest of the family remained indoors.

The family and the father survived, but the young boy died from the chlorine he was exposed to outside, Scott said.

Similar cases can be found throughout the country, he added.

And sheltering is an easy way to protect your family and pets, especially if people have a plan, said Lenore Pointer of the Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program.

First, designate a room in your house. Allow for about 10 square feet per person to be sheltered and try to be in a room with as few windows and vents as possible.

Pointer said residents should start sheltering within about 10 minutes of hearing the emergency sirens and radios sound.

"That doesn't mean you have to be completely done sheltering in that time, just be inside and working on it," Pointer said.

Turn off central heat, air conditioning or any vents. If you have a window air conditioner, cover it with plastic so air isn't entering through the unit.

Pointer said it's a good idea to take your tone-alert radio into the sheltering room with you, as well as a regular radio.

"The tone-alert radio will let you know what's going on in your area, while the regular radio will give you a regional perspective," Pointer said.

Be prepared to shelter for at least an hour, but sheltering should last no more than a day. So, have some bottled water on hand and ready-made foods, such as granola or fruit bars.

The tone-alert radios will let you know when it's safe to come out, Taylor said. Open the windows and doors and keep air circulating through your home.

"Once the plume passes over, the outside air is cleaner than the air inside your home," Taylor said.

Benny McCoy of Irrigon worked in maintenance at the depot for 30 years and although he said he isn't worried about an accident occurring, it's best to be prepared.

"I set up the first gas training program at the depot," McCoy said. "I'd be more worried if I lived in Hermiston because the wind blows predominantly in that direction."

 

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