I’m sorry to have written so much again, but I think this is vitally important to share with you. I’ve highlighted the major points so you can just skim if you want.
I’m sorry to have written so much again, but I think this is vitally important to share with you. I’ve highlighted the major points so you can just skim if you want. Please attend our next City Council Meeting, Tues, Feb. 16, if you can. It really makes a difference! (SEE VIDEO-CHAPTER 6)
Our last chance to have our safety concerns heard in public is Tuesday, at City Council, two days before the start up of Unit 2. The topic will come up even before “Oral Communications – Part One”. At the previous City Council meeting, I made a special request of you to hold back on all of the many concerns you may have about the plant and false alarms. That was a very considerate concession you made out of respect for everyone’s time. Unfortunately, it was not enough information to convince them to stand with us to request a delay in the Unit 2 start up until our safety concerns have been addressed.
My intention this time around is to have one person read the Resolution (which I was asked to prepare by one of the council members), have someone else read the full text of the whistle blowers claims, and then I’ll ask for a delay based on one simple fact. The city plans to re-distribute potassium iodide tablets to the general public at the end of March or early April, because the tablets previously distributed have expired. We think that for this reason alone, they should join us in sending a request to the NRC and/or SCE to wait long enough for that to take place, and put it into expedite mode so the delay does not take any longer than needed.
There are other concerns, besides false alarms, that I wonder about too.
Why is there no Ever-Ready preparedness manual available online in Spanish? It should be an option to download, just like the English version is (Spanish version is in print if you request it). There aren’t even emergency instructions in the phone book in Spanish. (This brochure also fails to mention that if you think you have been exposed to radiation, you should put your clothing in a plastic bag and take a shower).
Does anyone else share my concerns about the highly trained and well intentioned people that are highlighted in the Ever-Ready document? This is by no means a personal attack, but I’m just asking about the way it is written up. Does it give you much confidence in them?
Jen Tucker:
“She’s an avid skier. She’s a bicyclist and hiker. She’s Jen Tucker, a seasoned professional and San Clemente’s new Emergency Planning Officer. Prior to accepting the position in August, Tucker worked as a senior homeland security analyst, specializing in emergency planning, training and exercises.”
Nothing personal, but when she started in August did someone fail to explain to her that our iodide tablets would be expiring soon? Did someone forget to tell her how to reach the media outlets after hours (as we discovered on the first false alarm), in case there was need for an emergency communication of some kind? Was it her job to be sure that the Hispanic community be just as well informed as everyone else? Did she adequately explain why the sirens went off a second time, after reassuring us after the first time that steps were in place to prevent that from happening again?
Terri Plunkett, our Rad Tech:
Sixteen years ago, a young surfer named Terri Plunkett joined the staff at San Clemente Hospital as a nuclear medicine technologist. Terri says,”I’m responsible for monitoring radiation levels on the patient and in the radiation area. I also advise the medical staff on decontamination procedures”. Plunkett is on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. To that she says, “That means that when I go surfing – which is about three to four times a week – I have a friend monitoring my cell phone while I’m in the water”.
This makes me wonder, is this is the one and only person who is responsible for monitoring radiation levels in patients and in the radiation area, and who also advises medical staff on what to do? She seems to be putting all of our safety at risk depending on good cell phone coverage (with a charged battery), and a reliable friend who can swim fast?
This person in charge of protecting us from radiation exposure does not seem to be convinced that there is really any serious danger when she says, “The media provides an unrealistic depiction of the dangers of radiation. It’s really not as big and scary as some would believe.” Personally, I’d prefer the person with that kind of responsibility to really believe it is scary, and that she wakes up and goes to sleep with the thought that this could be the day, and it is only a matter of time before our luck runs out. That way, the rest of us can sleep comfortably, knowing someone else has those concerns covered for us.
Again, these are not personal attacks or mis-quoted information. I’m getting this right off of the Ever-Ready preparedness guidelines these people helped to prepare and distribute. Sorry if I offend anyone, but these are just concerns that need to be raised. Let’s get the pills distributed, the Spanish Ever-Ready version online, and if at all possible, a community forum on safety preparedness before starting up Unit 2!
We hope to see you at the meeting again, and this time I’m asking you to use the time as you see fit.
Thanks,
Gary