Last Wednesday, Emergency crews across DeWitt County and the surrounding areas took part in an exercise to test emergency response plans for the area surrounding the Clinton Nuclear Power Station.

The US Department of Homeland Security along with several other agencies, worked in evaluating the offsite portion of the exercise. Those departments evaluate based on mobility, direction and control, communications, equipment, decisions and implementation, traffic and access control, and notifications. Dwaine Warren with the US Department of Homeland Security Region 5 explains, with the effected counties, DeWitt, Piatt, McLean, and Macon, DeWitt County has the largest area of impact. He says of the areas of criteria they chose to try to meet, they met all of them.

[audio:emergencyresults1.mp3]A Word From Warren[/audio]

Bob Jickling with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, helped in the evaluation of the on-site portion of the test. He says his team concluded there were no areas of concern from them.

[audio:emergencyresults2.mp3]A Word From Jickling[/audio]

Jickling explains the simulated emergency crews participated in was the second lowest level of emergency.

[audio:emergencyresults3.mp3]A Word From Jickling[/audio]

DeWitt County Board Chair Melonie Tillie congratulates DeWitt County's EMA Coordinator Teresa Barnett-Hall for her crews success in the exercise. Tillie says she is proud of their professionalism and is confident in their ability to protect the public in the state of emergencies, especially those involving the Clinton Power Plant.