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CROSS OR VISITING ITS WEBSITE.
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND
SECURITY SAYS A MINNESOTA
NUCLEAR PLANT WOULD BE PREPARED
TO HANDLE AN EMERGENCY.
THEY CONDUCTED A TEST RUN OF AN
EMERGENCY SITUATION ON TUESDAY.
KATE IS LIVE AT THE WRIGHT
COPTY GOVERNMENT OFFICE IN
BUFFALO.
WHAT DID YOU LEARN ABOUT THIS?
Reporter: WE ARE ABOUT TEN
MILES AWAY FROM THE NUCLEAR
PLANT IN MONTICELLO IN WRIGHT
COUNTY.
EARLIER THIS WEEK, OFFICIALS
FROM FEMA AS WELL AS NUCLEAR
REGULATORY COMMISSION WERE OUT
HERE TO DO THE TEST RUN.
THEY GAVE US A STATUS UPDATE
THIS MORNING SAYING IT WENT
WELL AND THEY FOUND NO MAJOR
ISSUES.
THAT TEST ESSENTIALLY EVALUATES
THE RESPONSE OF BOTH PEOPLE AT
THE NUCLEAR PLANT, ITS
FUNCTIONS, AS WELL AS OUTSIDE
RESPONSE FROM LAW ENFORCEMENT.
THE TESTS ARE PART OF A
REQUIREMENT TO DO YEARLY TESTS
IN MINNESOTA.
THE STATE HAS TWO NUCLEAR POWER
PLANTS, ONE IN LONG PRAIRIE AND
ONE IN MONTICELLO.
FEMA AND NRC TRADE OFF YEARLY
TESTING.
THIS YEAR IT WAS MONTICELLO'S
TURN.
THESE PICTURES WERE TAKEN FROM
TUESDAY'S MOCK EMERGENCY DRILL.
FEDERAL OFFICIALS GAVE THE
STATUS UPDATE SAYING THERE WERE
NO MAJOR ISSUES IN THE TEST AND
THE PLANT WOULD BE ABLE TO
HANDLE A REAL NUCLEAR INCIDENT.
BEING PREPARED FOR A
POSSIBLE EVENT IS CRITICAL IN
BEING ABLE TO REACT IF AN EVENT
OCCURS.
OUR EVALUATION PROCESS IS
LOOKING AT ALL THEIR
PREPARATIONS, THEIR PROCEDURES,
THEIR TRAINING, AND THEIR
ABILITY IN RESPONSE TO A
POTENTIAL EVENT.
I SPOKE TO A REPRESENTATIVE
WITH THE MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT
OF PUBLIC SAFETY.
SHE TOLD ME THAT MINNESOTA HAS
DONE HISTORICALLY WELL WITH ALL
OF THEIR TESTS THEY'VE HAD AT
BOTH NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS.
THE NEXT STEP IS THEY'LL BE
SUBMITTING THE FINDINGS TO THE
