Radiation Contamination
Federal authorities have established 10- and 50-mile
Emergency Planning Zones as the basis for planning
to protect the public from exposure to radiation
in the unlikely event of an accident at a nuclear
power plant. For areas within 10 miles of a nuclear
power plant the planning zone is called the Exposure
Path Zone (EPZ), and for areas within 10 to 50 miles
of a nuclear power plant the planning zone is called
the Ingestion Path Zone (IPZ). The City of Fort Lauderdale’s
most southern boundary is located just within the
50-mile IPZ for Turkey Point Nuclear Power Plant,
which is located 24 miles south of Miami at Turkey
Point.
Planning for the 50-mile IPZ includes identifying
and monitoring crops that may be consumed by humans
or animals, and dairy and/or drinking water facilities
or supplies that are located in an open environment
that could be exposed to radioactive fallout.
An accident or incident at a nuclear power plant
is classified in one of four ways:
- Unusual Event - minor incident
such as severe weather.
- Alert - minor incident that
could affect reactor safety.
- Site Area Emergency - more
serious, reactor could be leaking.
- General Emergency - most severe,
radiation release off site possible.
The public within these zones could be notified
of such events by a variety of methods, including:
- Radio
- Television
- Door-to-door Notification
- Public Safety Vehicle
- Marine interests via Marine VHF radio
Fort Lauderdale Public Safety Officials and personnel
of the Emergency Management Bureau in concert with
Broward County and State Emergency Management Officials
participate with officials from the power plant industry
and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) on a
scheduled recurring basis to determine the effectiveness
of Local, County and State Radiological Emergency
Planning. For additional safety planning information
for neighbors of Florida Power and Light nuclear
power plants, visit their web site at http://www.metro-dade.com/oem/turkeypoint.asp.
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