It's ridiculous!It's absolutely absurd.
Jane Doe is 90 years old and living in a nursing home.
Little Susie is 4 years old and plays in a day care center.
John Doe is hard at work earning his family's living at a local factory.
And yours truly sits here wondering.
Why, please tell me, are we living and working our routine day-to-day lives in the shadow of what could be one of history's greatest disasters simply because, should tragedy occur, we don't know how to respond.
It is a crime.
***
For those of you new to town, welcome to Anniston, home of 7 percent of the nation's chemical weapons. They're stored at the local Anniston Army Depot and are well guarded by plenty of guns and politics, with the latter serving as the greatest barrier to any action involving them.
We have this powerful $1 billion incinerator facility standing ready to destroy the weapons and rid us of this evil Cold War tablescrap. But some folks fear doing so is a greater threat than continuing to store the weapons.
Therein lies the crime.
It is one issue to support the incinerator as a method of destruction or to oppose it ever flicking its Bic.
It is another to hold hostage our preparations on what to do should an accident occur today.
If ever the Army has a bad day and there is a major screwup in one of those chemical-weapon bunkers, then God help us, because our preparedness planning sure won't.
***
There is a sturdy-looking stone building in Jacksonville across the street from Kitty Stone Elementary School that looks like Fort Knox.
It was built in 1937 and previously served as a National Guard armory. Today, however, it looks completely different on the inside, and its aged outward appearance camouflages a very modern interior that looks like something from NASA or the movie War Games.
The building serves as headquarters for the local Emergency Management Agency, which oversees our emergency preparedness and the response when emergencies occur.
Located miles away from the weapons storage site, it is well protected and prepared for managing any storm, industrial mishap, or any accident involving chemical weapons.
It certainly feels much safer there than sitting in Little Susie's day care center in the impact zone just a few hills away from the weapons, and wondering that if an accident occurred today, just what would happen to Little Susie?
Well, let's look at that a moment. What would happen to Susie? And Grandma Jane? And yours truly sitting here at work in the same possible impact zone?
***
Boom!
An accidental explosion just occurred in a storage bunker and chemical weapons are spewing their deadly toxins into the air. Computer models indicate a toxic cloud could cover downtown Anniston in eight minutes.
It takes at least four minutes before the danger is initially assessed and the proper warning is sounded, and of course, we all know what that warning sounds like, right?
There is one official plan in place today by the county. Run.
Their word for it is evacuate, so just imagine, if you will, the utter chaos of tens of thousands of souls racing for the interstate with maybe two minutes remaining to get out. It will take only seconds before the roads will be filled with panicked drivers smashing into one another and blocking all routes.
The cloud comes.
And then?
Sorry, Little Susie. Our only plan in place today was to run. After that, kid, you're on your own.
***
Why, Troy, would you write such a column?
Sounds depressing, I ask? Good, because it's no time to be painting skunks with perfume.
The County Commission and the local EMA must not wait any longer for a red carpet of goodies to be rolled out by the feds. A shelter-in-place education campaign must be started immediately.
Then, add all the necessary additions to any preparedness plan as the provisions come along. Additions such as public shelters, gas masks, or whatever else is proven helpful. Keep the evacuation plan, but only in realistic means.
Am I mad at the commission and EMA? Let's just say they are great people who mean well, and who unfairly are thrown into an issue that is not in the normal realm of local government. I would not trade places with either of them for a million dollars. Paving roads is one thing; bearing the tremendously heavy burden of planning for a war-like disaster is another.
Keep battling the feds for more help. They do owe us, and we'll help fight that battle.
Keep improving the EMA, emergency personnel and their capabilities. They are our heroes.
Keep looking for ways to ensure a safe destruction of these weapons, and destroy the real danger.
But the message here must be clear:
Give us a plan now that gives us a fighting chance, and recognize that some type of shelter-in-place education must be a part of that plan.
We have no choice. Running sounds good if there is time to run and no traffic jam. But if we can't run, what?
Don't leave Little Susie on the playground.
Give her a plan.
Troy Turner is the managing editor of The Anniston Star. He can be contacted at tturner@annistonstar.com or at P.O. Box 189, Anniston, AL, 36202.
