A Message From The Chief Of Police

Patch did a on how Dominion prepares Millstone in case of a natural disaster. With what is going on in Japan, the energy company can learn from the situation, Dominion spokesman Ken Holt said.

Chief of Police Murray Pendleton, who also is the director of emergency management, agreed with Holt that the town can learn plenty from the tragedy in Japan.

 “I’m confident, when all the dust is settled, we will learn the root cause of this problem,” Pendleton said Tuesday. “And with that information we can find out ways to improve our own plan.”

So far, Japan has not been able to share information with the United States and nuclear companies. That information eventually trickles down to towns like Waterford, Pendleton said. The country is overwhelmed working on its own situation, and it hopefully will share all the information after everything is over, he said.

One Lesson Learned

A lesson already learned in Japan is one that Pendleton has stressed for years, which is to plan ahead. Many American tourists were confused and lost in Japan, unable to leave because of the language barriers, Pendleton said.

People should always plan ahead for how they would evacuate their families in case of an emergency, both at home and whenever going on a vacation, Pendleton said. Ultimately, individual families have to take care of themselves, he said.

“The best thing you can do is have a plan, know where you are going, and leave,” Pendleton said.

KI

In the past few days, several residents have contacted the police department with requests for potassium iodide pills, aka KI pills. The pills protect the body against radiation.

People can pick up potassium iodide pills at town hall, Pendleton said. Residents should not swallow the pill unless state or local officials tell them to do so, Pendleton said.

Town’s Preparation

Pendleton has made no changes to the town’s response plan to all Millstone-related issues. Those changes would only be made after the information from Japan is gathered, Pendleton said.

That said, the town feels very confident in its plan, the chief said. Emergency management has already run several drills similar to the experiences in Japan, he said.

“We have been practicing these types of emergencies and drills for over 20 years,” he said. “We take it very seriously.”

Pendleton also stressed the importance of people listening to officials, especially when it comes to evacuating. When officials say evacuate, do it, Pendleton said.

“Just leave,” Pendleton said. “We ask the public to leave only when there is a real potential for danger.”