Forum looks at 'what ifs' in a depot disaster

This story was published Fri, Jan 24, 2003

By Karen Spears Zacharias
Herald Oregon bureau

PENDLETON -- A major explosion at the Umatilla Chemical Depot could devastate the area's economy and prompt emergency managers in Washington and Oregon to ask their governors for a disaster declaration. And such an accident involving chemical weapons agents also would likely create an immediate embargo on farm products, about 80 officials attending a daylong forum at Pendleton's Convention Center were told Thursday.

"We're not going to be able to sell anything out of Washington. It's going to affect our wineries, our orchards, our livestock and our transportation systems," said Rick Garza, Benton County Emergency Services manager.

Determining who would be liable for damages was part of the session involving officials from Benton, Umatilla and Morrow counties, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Army, Environmental Protection Agency, Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and Washington and Oregon Emergency Management and Health departments.

The economic damage could be immense, even if no nerve agent was released, said Tom Groat, Umatilla County emergency planner.

"Look at how the Alar scare put Washington apple growers out of business. If there's a plume, the perception will be that all the region's agriculture had (toxic) chemicals dumped on them," he said.

The Army likely would be liable only for actual damages.

Army officials said it's unlikely any lethal agent would concentrate in soil, water or vegetation beyond the depot site.

"If there's an incident, we will collect surface samples, but we won't find any nerve agent," said Veronique Hauschild, spokeswoman for the Army's Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine. "In all the models I've seen for accidents at any CSEPP site ..., I do not recall any incident where aerosolized droplets got off base."

Hauschild said the sampling would be done primarily to address public perception.

"Even if we show there's no nerve agent there, I don't think that's going to satisfy people," she said.

Oregon health officials said the Army's capabilities present a problem. The difference between what's deadly and what's harmful can be difficult to assess, the state officials noted: A whiff of sarin might kill, but how little on an apple or grape is harmful?

FEMA plans to focus only on people's immediate needs, such as shelter and food.

The burden should not fall on counties, protested Morrow County Judge Terry Tallman.

"The counties didn't create this problem -- the Army did. Cost-share is not an option," he said.

There are no easy answers on how long the effects might linger, Army officials said.

"It will take a very long time (to assess contamination and when people can return to their homes). And we are going to be impacting people's day-to-day activities," said Lt. Col. Fred Pellissier. "And right now we don't have a lot of institutional data on what those impacts could mean."

A chemical release would likely be more than just life-threatening, said Casey Beard, Morrow County emergency manager.

"People aren't going to be able to sell their homes and the real estate market will fall through the vent. Even if the plume were to affect only a small crop, we won't be able to ship any crops to any market. And people aren't going to believe what we tell them because we've told them all along such an incident would never happen," Beard said.

 

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