Polly Goodman believes God will keep her safe.So she doesn't worry much about the incinerator or the 2,200 tons of chemical weapons the Army will soon begin to feed into it.
Her faith, however, won't prevent her from helping to improve others' chances of keeping safe if an accident were to happen at the Anniston Army Depot.
The 46-year-old secretary and student will spend her Saturdays this summer pounding the pavements of the nine-mile radius around the depot. She'll be helping to identify the disabled and elderly living in the pink zone who wouldn't be able to easily shelter or evacuate if a lethal plume were to waft off the base.
Goodman is one of about 40 volunteers who are working with Community Against Pollution to identify the so-called special needs population in the areas closest to the depot. It's a door-to-door effort to update a database that will in turn allow emergency managers to develop a plan for the population.
"It's overdue," she said of the project, which begins Monday. "We should have done this a long time ago."
CAP is working under an $88,000 contract with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which administers the emergency preparedness program tied to the weapons stockpile. Much of the money goes toward daily stipends for the volunteers.
Goodman and the others will be armed with a two-page questionnaire and a list of frequently asked questions and answers. They've already been through a seven-hour training session run by CAP officials, who were first trained by the contractor, Innovative Emergency Management.
The canvassers also will be offering general emergency information about evacuation routes and siren tones. But finding out who would need extra help during an accident is the main goal.
"The ultimate objective is to make certain we continue to transfer the most current data to local and state officials, so they can develop plans and strategies for the special needs population," FEMA spokeswoman Mary Hudak said.
Even before these plans are finished, the volunteers will help to alleviate some of the burden on those who can't help themselves.
"We'll try to find a support system for individuals who don't have one," said Shirley Baker, health educator at CAP. "We might have to ask a next-door neighbor or someone down the street."
The idea for the project, Baker said, arose from a sense that previous attempts to identify the special needs population had fallen short.
"We felt the only way to do it is door-to-door," she said. "We'll know our community is educated."
Baker said she expects the project to last between three to six months with the canvassers working on Fridays, Saturdays and Mondays.
