State, county and local officials from five counties in the area around Arkansas Nuclear One (ANO) at London, Arkansas, near Russelville, will be participating with Entergy in an exercise of emergency response plans on Wednesday, April 11.
This exercise is held to better prepare them in the event of an area radiation emergency.
Teams will work on the development of emergency response plans as well as the maintenance and operation of the emergency warning system. The practice area includes Conway, Pope, Logan, Johnson, and Yell counties.
As part of the exercise, field teams from the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH) will be testing their ability to collect samples and monitor the environment for radiation. The teams will be in marked state vehicles and team members will have identification. Teams will also practice communications and response systems with county judges and municipal officials who would have responsibility for parts of the area involved in an actual response to an emergency at the plant.
These exercises are held every two years in accordance with Federal regulations.
The ADH Nuclear Planning and Response Program is responsible for planning for and responding to actual emergencies involving ANO near Russellville. The program works with the four counties within 10 miles of ANO which could be subject to evacuation or other protective measures in the event of an emergency. The program will also work with Conway County, which would host evacuees from the Russellville area.
