Contact: Stephen M. Apatow
President, Humanitarian Resource Institute
Eastern USA: (203) 668-0282
Western USA: (775) 884-4680
Internet: http://www.humanitarian.net
Email: sma@humanitarian.net
PUBLIC ADVISED TO RESEARCH RISK MANAGEMENT PLANS AND
EXECUTIVE SUMMARIES FOR CHEMICAL PLANTS IN THEIR
CITIES - DATABASE PROVIDES IMMEDIATE ACCESS
Just after midnight on December 3, 1984, a pesticide
plant in Bhopal, India accidentally released
approximately 40 metric tons of methyl isocyanate into
the atmosphere. The incident was a catastrophe for
Bhopal with an estimated 2000 casualties, 100,000
injuries, and significant damage to livestock and
crops. The long-term health effects from such an
incident are difficult to evaluate; the International
Medical Commission on Bhopal estimated that as of 1994
upwards of 50,000 people remained partially or totally
disabled....
U.S. SENATE SPECIAL COMMITTEE URGES FEMA & EPA TO HELP
PREPARE COMMUNITIES
On October 21, 1999, The U.S. Senate Special Committee
for the Year 2000 technology Problem released a report
prepared by the Texas Engineering Experiment Station's
(TEES) Mary Kay O'Connor Process Safety Center
headquartered at Texas A&M University in College
Station. Its results include the following:
* 86.5 percent of firms surveyed are not currently
prepared for Y2K.
* 85.6 percent have not coordinated emergency plans
with local/community officials. A majority have not
linked contingency planning to community emergency
services such as police, fire and rescue, or
hospitals.
* 79 percent said they had never before been surveyed
about Y2K preparedness.
* A majority of respondents do not belong to industry
organizations or trade associations, which have been
the primary gatherers of Y2K preparedness information
in the private sector.
* 4.1 percent said Y2K presents A potential for a
catastrophic event.
An estimated 85 million Americans live within five
miles of one of the 66,000 sites that handle hazardous
chemicals.
CITIZENS URGED TO REVIEW RISK MANAGEMENT PLANS AND
EXECUTIVE SUMMARIES FOR CHEMICAL PLANTS IN THEIR
CITIES
RTK NET was started in 1989 in support of the
Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act
(EPCRA), which
mandated public access to the Toxic Release Inventory.
It is operated by two nonprofit organizations-- OMB
Watch and The Unison Institute--and funded by various
government agencies and foundations.
Under the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, certain
chemical facilities must report risk management plans
(RMPs) to prevent and respond to chemical accidents in
the United States. The RTK NET database provides
access to the RMP Executive Summaries for facilities
in most states. Each facility's Plan must include:
A worst-case chemical release and more-likely
"alternative release" scenario, Information about
chemical accidents that have occurred in the last five
years, An accident prevention program, An emergency
response plan, identifying information about the
facility, including its location, address and contact
information, and an Executive Summary that summarizes
the plan and allows the company reporting the data to
characterize the information in the RMP.
The Risk Management Plan program is being run by the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Chemical
Emergency Prevention and Preparedness Office (CEPPO).
CEPPO has provided a great deal of information online
about the RMP program, including links to laws and
regulations, guidance documents and other materials.
To access to the RTK NET database, reports and links
to the U.S. Chemical and Hazard Safety Investigation
Board visit the Humanitarian Resource Institute Global
Y2K Infrastructure Risks Web Site at:
http://www.humanitarian.net/y2keconomic.html
COMMUNITY & FAMILY PREPAREDNESS
Humanitarian Resource Institute in cooperation with
the FEMA Community & Family Preparedness Program has
constructed a one stop Community & Family Preparedness
resource guide on the internet. Included on this web
site is the Preparedness Guide for Chemical
Emergencies which was produced by the National
Disaster Education Coalition: AmericanRed Cross,FEMA,
IAEM, IBHS, NFPA, NWS, USDA/CSREES, and USGS. Topics
Include:
* Why Talk About Chemical Emergencies?
* What Is a Home Chemical Emergency, and a Major
* Chemical Emergency?
* Awareness Information
* Preventing Chemical Emergencies in the Home
* What to Do During a Home Chemical Emergency
* Plan for Major Chemical Emergencies
* Media and Communicate Education Ideas
* What to Do During a Major Chemical Emergency
* What to Do if You Are at the Scene of a Chemical
Accident
* How to Shelter-in-Place
* Evacuation During a Chemical Emergency
* What to Do After a Major Chemical Emergency
The Community & Family Preparedness Resource Guide can
be found at: http://www.humanitarian.net/prepare.html
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