Nuclear Emergency Information
What Nuclear Emergency?!?
St. Anne's Episcopal School is located within the 10-Mile Emergency Planning Zone of the Nuclear power plant located in Salem, New Jersey. In the unlikely event of an accident or incident at the plant, St. Anne's has developed an emergency plan with preparations for both evacuation and on-site sheltering in the case of a nuclear emergency.
Evacuation and Shelter in Place Guidelines
There are twenty (20) schools in Delaware located within the ten-mile Emergency
Planning Zone (EPZ) of Salem/Hope Creek Nuclear Generating Stations (SHCNGS). Should
an emergency occur at SHCNGS, detailed radiological emergency plans will be implemented
to protect the health and safety of the people living and working in the affected areas.
Under certain conditions, a radioactive release from the nuclear power plant may
require the protective action of SHELTERING-IN-PLACE or RELOCATION or ingestion of
Potassium Iodide (KI). These protective actions would eliminate or reduce public exposure to
radioactivity.
Sheltering-in-place actions would have the school take shelter within specified areas of the building and await further instructions from the Delaware Emergency Management Agency (DEMA).
Evacuation actions would require students and faculty to leave school premises and transport all parties to our host school: Caesar Rodney High School, 239 Old North Rd, Camden DE 19934.
- In the event of an evacuation, St. Anne's will be notified by the New Castle County Emergency Operations Center (NCCEOC) to prepare and evacuate the premises.
- The school's Emergency Crisis Team will initiate evacuation procedures.
- Families will be notified by the school that we have been instructed to evacuate campus.
- Students will not be allowed to be picked up from St. Anne's and must travel to the host school to be picked up once everyone has been accounted for.
Potassium Iodide (KI)
Health officials have declared that potassium iodide (chemical name KI), if taken in time and at the appropriate dosage, can protect the thyroid gland from radioactive iodine exposure during a nuclear emergency and reduces the risk of developing thyroid cancer as a result of that exposure. This finding has prompted the State of Delaware to supply all schools within a 10-mile radius of a nuclear reactor plant with supplies of KI tablets, together with instructions for their distribution in the event of a radiation threat or emergency.
There is a signature spot on the Emergency Card for administering KI in the event of an emergency, so please make sure you complete that field when signing the medical forms.
Below is a quick fact sheet regarding the use of KI in the event of a nuclear emergency. For additional information about KI, please contact your local pharmacist or healthcare provider.