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For Immediate Release Contact: LCG Communications: 718.853.5568; March 26, 2002 917.775.1940; [EMAIL PROTECTED] Poll Shows No Confidence In Emergency Evacuation Plan for Indian Point Riverkeeper Releases Results of Marist Poll on Workability of Regional Evacuation for Indian Point Nuclear Plant; Calls on Governor Pataki To Close Indian Point Due to Inadequacy of Plan to Protect Public Health and Safety Riverkeeper, a Hudson River-based environmental group, released the results of a Marist Institute poll on the workability of evacuation plans for the region in case of a catastrophic nuclear accident or attack at the Indian Point nuclear plant in Buchanan, New York. Many, including government officials, consider the plant a prime potential terrorist target in the wake of the September 11th World Trade Center attack. An emergency evacuation plan currently exists for only the 10-mile radius around the plant, although, in case of an attack or accident, people within a 50-mile radius are also at risk. More than 20 million people live within 50 miles of the plant, including those living within the five boroughs of New York City and in 21 other counties in New York, Connecticut, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The most startling poll results deal directly with those who live within the ten-mile evacuation zone, where an evacuation plan exists: � A vast majority -- 61% of those polled -- feel that the evacuation plan is not workable; � 76% of those polled would attempt to evacuate anyway, even though 72% feel they are not familiar with what they're supposed to do in the event of an accident; � Only 33% -- one third -- of residents who live within ten miles of Indian Point have read or looked at the official evacuation plan; � A scant 3% of residents who live within ten miles of the plant can name an evacuation reception center. And, even though there is no evacuation plan at all for those beyond the 10-mile radius: � 60% of the people within the larger, 50-mile zone would attempt to evacuate; � 77% of residents who live within fifty miles of the plant believe there should be an evacuation plan for their community. "The poll confirms that in the event of an accident at Indian Point, chaos would reign," said Riverkeeper's Executive Director, Alex Matthiessen. "Imagine 12 million people, equipped with a mere paper plan or possibly no plan at all, trying to evacuate the area all at once -- it would be sheer pandemonium and many would not survive it." "We decided to undertake this poll because we wanted to see how prepared New Yorkers are for an attack, how well they understand evacuation procedures, and how they would respond. Now we know, and the answers are frightening," Matthiessen added. "Without a workable evacuation plan, Governor Pataki simply cannot guarantee the health and safety of the 20 million people who live in the New York metropolitan area. If he takes an honest look at emergency preparedness, he can only conclude that the plant must be closed," he added. The poll also revealed that, although parents are not supposed to pick up children from school should an evacuation become necessary during school hours, fully 73% of those polled who have children would ignore the plan and would go get their children anyway. While Westchester County Executive Spano is currently attempting to improve the plan to allow parents to pick up their children, serious questions remain as to how that will happen given the torrent of evacuees who will be fleeing the emergency zone in the event of an actual accident. Susan Shapiro, a parent from Pomona in Rockland County said, "My child goes to school in the ten-mile zone and her evacuation is dependent on buses that do not exist. There are not enough buses to evacuate school children. In fact, the evacuation plan calls for bus drivers to make multiple trips into the emergency zone." Joseph Mangano, National Coordinator with the Radiation and Public Health Project, said, "As a health researcher with expertise in the field of radiation and its effects, I know that the health consequences of an accident or an attack at Indian Point are potentially catastrophic. If an incident were to occur on a day when the winds were blowing toward New York City, there might well be very few places to which people could safely evacuate. Many thousands of people rushing to get out or remaining behind could suffer all kinds of serious health effects from radiation exposure, including myriad cancers, thyroid ailments, respiratory and immune diseases�." The poll, conducted by phone from February 18th through March 7th, surveyed a total of 1,118 residents, 505 of whom live within the ten-mile radius of the plant and 613 of whom live within a fifty-mile radius. The results of these samples are statistically significant at +/- 4.5% and +/- 4%, respectively. (For questions regarding how the poll was conducted, contact Barbara Carvalho at the Marist Institute for Public Opinion @ 845.575.5050.) The results of a companion poll, regarding whether or not Indian Point should be closed, will be released next week. Additionally, the New York City Council is scheduling hearings in April to solicit public input on a resolution calling for the shutdown of Indian Point. (If you have not received the full text of the poll and would like a copy, please contact LCG Communications: 718.853.5568; 917.775.1940; [EMAIL PROTECTED] or go to Riverkeeper's website: www.riverkeeper.org. To obtain a copy of Assemblyman Richard Brodsky's report detailing the emergency evacuation plan's flaws, contact his office at 914.345.0432) Riverkeeper is a member-based, not-for-profit environmental organization dedicated to protecting the Hudson River and the New York City drinking water supply. ............................................... 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