Are you a planner? Do you know a planner? That kid who has their Halloween costume planned a year in advance; a four-year-plan drafted to ensure timely college graduation; don’t even get us started on wedding planning…
What would this world be like without planners?
That’s where Duke Energy and our local and state Emergency Management partners come in. By putting plans in place and anticipating unlikely events, we are better able to deliver on our commitment to protect the health and safety of the public.
“Nuclear facility planning and training with Duke Energy and our Emergency Management partners at the local, state, and federal level is an essential aspect to ensuring we are well prepared to provide a coordinated response in the unlikely event of an emergency at McGuire or Catawba Nuclear Stations*,” says Tony Bateman, Emergency Management Planner with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Emergency Management Office. “The relationships we have with these partners are invaluable in our fulfilling mission to protect the public.”
Nuclear plants are among the safest and most regulated facilities in the world. However, we still plan for a variety of situations and work closely with local, state and federal agencies to have comprehensive, well-practiced and coordinated emergency plans. Whether it’s maintaining outdoor warning sirens in our emergency planning zones (EPZs), conducting evacuation time estimate (ETE) studies or practicing our comprehensive emergency plans, this team is constantly planning for the safety of our communities.
But we don’t plan on an island – we need your help! Evacuation time estimate studies are conducted every 10 years to evaluate the effectiveness of exit pathways. The results of these studies help county officials manage traffic during many types of emergencies, including fires, hurricanes or environmental spills.
Although the need for evacuations around our nuclear plants is unlikely, it’s valuable to understand what they would look like. “The Emergency Time Estimate provides the best possible information on how long it will take for communities to evacuate. The surveys are important to gain a statistical view of how people will react before, and during an evacuation, considering most communities have never fully evacuated an area,” says Eric White, lead nuclear emergency preparedness specialist at Duke Energy.
Contribute to your area’s emergency plans by completing your ETE survey today:
| Brunswick Nuclear Plant | Catawba Nuclear Station |
| Harris Nuclear Plant - survey closed | McGuire Nuclear Station - survey closed |
| Oconee Nuclear Station - survey closed | Robinson Nuclear Plant |
*NOTE: Duke Energy works with emergency management officials in counties around all the nuclear facilities we operate.
KLD Engineering, P.C. is conducting these surveys on behalf of Duke Energy.
View additional Duke Energy Nuclear Emergency Preparedness information here.
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