FEMA to Evaluate Readiness of Delaware

PHILADELPHIA – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will evaluate a biennial emergency preparedness exercise for the Salem/Hope Creek Nuclear Generating Station, Emergency Planning Zone portion in Delaware. The station is located in the State of New Jersey. The exercise will occur during the week of May 16th to test the ability of the State of Delaware to respond to an emergency at the nuclear facility.

“These drills are held every other year to test government’s ability to protect public health and safety,” said MaryAnn Tierney, Regional Administrator for FEMA Region III. “We will assess state and local emergency response capabilities in Delaware within the 10-mile emergency-planning zone of the nuclear facility as well as the adjacent support jurisdictions within the State of Delaware.”

Within 90 days, FEMA will send its evaluation to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for use in licensing decisions. The final report will be available to the public about 120 days after the exercise.

FEMA will present preliminary findings of the exercise in a public meeting at 10 a.m. on May 20, 2016, at the Residence Inn by Marriott, 600 Jefferic Blvd, Dover, Del. Scheduled speakers include representatives from FEMA, NRC, and the State of Delaware.

At the public meeting, FEMA may request that questions or comments be submitted in writing for review and response. Written comments may also be submitted after the meeting by emailing FEMAR3NewsDesk@fema.dhs.gov or by mail to:

MaryAnn Tierney

Regional Administrator

FEMA Region III

615 Chestnut Street, 6^th Floor

Philadelphia, PA 19106

FEMA created the Radiological Emergency Preparedness (REP) Program to (1) ensure the health and safety of citizens living around commercial nuclear power plants would be adequately protected in the event of a nuclear power plant accident and (2) inform and educate the public about radiological emergency preparedness.

REP Program responsibilities cover only “off-site” activities, that is, state and local government emergency planning and preparedness activities that take place beyond the nuclear power plant boundaries. On-site activities continue to be the responsibility of the NRC.

Additional information on FEMA’s REP Program is available online at https://www.fema.gov/radiological-emergency-preparedness-program.

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards. FEMA Region III’s jurisdiction includes Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia.  Stay informed of FEMA’s activities online: videos and podcasts are available at http://www.fema.gov/medialibrary and www.youtube.com/fema. Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/femaregion3.

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