North Anna Power Station's annual nuclear disaster drill is planned for Tuesday. The exercise will include personnel from Dominion Power, the state, Louisa and surrounding counties.
Police will practice traffic control, and local and state radiological monitoring teams will take simulated field readings.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency will monitor the event, analyze the results and share its findings at a public meeting July 13.
The NBC29 newsroom received the following release from the Virginia Department of Emergency Preparedness:
North Anna Radiological Emergency Preparedness Exercise Set for July 10
RICHMOND, Va. – Response personnel from state and local governments and Dominion Virginia Power will demonstrate their ability to protect public health and safety in a full-scale exercise July 10 for the utility's North Anna Power Station. The exercise involves localities within 10 miles of the power station.
The Virginia Department of Emergency Management will lead the Virginia Operations Plan Exercise, or VOPEX, a simulated radiological emergency, to help state and local governments test their response procedures in the unlikely event of a radiological emergency. These annual exercises rotate between the Surry and North Anna nuclear power stations.
Response agencies and local government representatives will role-play their emergency operations functions from state and local government emergency operations centers. Participating localities include Caroline, Hanover, Louisa, Orange and Spotsylvania counties.
Law enforcement personnel will practice traffic control measures in the field. Local and state radiological monitoring teams will take simulated field readings and communicate via radio.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency will monitor the drill's progress and conduct an in-depth analysis of the results, outlining any areas that may need improvement. FEMA will review the success of the exercise at a public meeting July 13 at 11 a.m. at the Richmond Marriott West, 4240 Dominion Blvd., Glen Allen 23060.
