FEMA to Evaluate Readiness of Pennsylvania and West Virginia 

Emergency preparedness exercise scheduled for the Beaver Valley Power Station

Release Date: June 15, 2012
Release Number: R3-12-10

Philadelphia, PA – The Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency will evaluate a Biennial Emergency Preparedness Exercise at the Beaver Valley Power Station. The exercise will take place during the week of June 18 to assess the ability of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the State of West Virginia to respond to an emergency at the nuclear facility.

“These drills are held every other year to evaluate 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 within the 10-mile emergency-planning zone of the nuclear facility.”

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 approximately 120 days after the exercise.

FEMA will present preliminary findings of the exercise in a public meeting at 10:30 am on June 22 , 2012at the Pittsburgh Airport Marriott, 777 Aten Road, Coraopolis, PA 15108. Scheduled speakers include representatives from FEMA, NRC, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the State of West Virginia.

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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Last Modified: Friday, 15-Jun-2012 14:49:21