Cumberland County finishes nuclear power plant exercise

A recent notification from staff at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) stated that Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, has successfully completed its Three Mile Island (TMI) nuclear power plant exercise.

The agency officials did not report any deficiencies or problems with the TMI nuclear power plant.

The inspection ended on April 14, 2015. These evaluations are required by the federal government every two years. The evaluation inspected the risk of the facility and the potential risk to the counties around the plant. The inspection also included multiple state agencies, as well as Exelon, which owns and runs the TMI nuclear power plant.

More than 65 participants, including county employees, DPS staff and community volunteers, were involved in the 2015 exercise for the Emergency Operations Center.

Cumberland County, as well as portions of New Cumberland Borough and Lower Allen Township, are classified either as risks or in the Emergency Planning Zone (EPZ).

Cumberland County has evacuation reception centers located in Shippensburg and Newville. In addition to the inspection on April 15, the county’s capabilities are also evaluated for an exercise in out of sequence inspection portions, which required Cumberland County to monitor, receive and decontaminate -- if necessary -- evacuees from within the 10 mile EPZ area on April 15.

Another location in Lemoyne is also under Cumberland County’s responsibility; in the case of an emergency, Cumberland County would provide Emergency Worker decontamination and monitoring.