Matt Creamer’s article about Citizens Against Pollution (CAP) being hired to go door to door to “identify the disabled living in the pink zones” raises more questions than it answers. First, why is CAP being paid to carry out this identification process?
Several years ago another FEMA contractor was paid to produce a report which identified 3,900 people in Calhoun County as being unable to carry out any protective action in the event of a chemical accident at the Anniston Army Depot. Paying CAP $88,000 to do the same thing looks like a poor use of our tax dollars.
Second, the article says that CAP workers “will be offering general information about evacuation routes and siren tones.”
This certainly is odd. IEM, the FEMA contractor which is paying CAP and has trained their workers, produced a report almost three years ago which concluded there would not be sufficient time for people in the pink zones to evacuate and therefore those residents should “shelter in place” with duct tape and plastic sheeting. Why is CAP now being trained by IEM to tell people in the pink zones about evacuation routes?
I thought FEMA and IEM were opposed to evacuation. No wonder our community appeared confused about what to do in the event of an accident according to the Texas A&M survey.
Finally, the article quotes Shirley Baker, CAP’s health educator, as saying “We’ll try to find a support system for (special needs) individuals who don’t have one. We might have to ask a next door neighbor or someone down the street.”
Apparently, FEMA, IEM, and CAP are all hoping that this person “down the street” will be near-by at the time the sirens sound and will be able to get to the special needs individual before either person receives a debilitating dose of chemical agent. If the person “down the street” is away, what happens to the special needs individual?
Mr. Creamer’s article quoted FEMA spokeswoman Mary Hudak as saying the “ultimate objective” of paying CAP is “so that they can transfer the most current data to local and state officials so they (state and local officials) can develop plans and strategies for these special needs population.”
We should all be praying for our state and local officials to come up with a plan for Calhoun County’s special needs population. It is clear that FEMA does not have one.
Glenn Andrews, Jr.
Anniston
Incinerator
Five years ago, ADEM issued the permit to build the Anniston chemical weapons incinerator and Money magazine rated Anniston the third worst city in America. One would have thought it couldn’t get any worse. It has. Forbes has just tabbed Anniston the worst city in the nation, 296th out of 296. To claim that the incinerator has nothing to do with it would be either very cynical or very naive.When yours is known to be among the worst cities in America as well as the most polluted, you do not enhance what little attractiveness you have by building the world’s largest incinerator, declaring that your community does not need the maximum protection it has a right to by federal law, and proceeding to spew constant low-level emissions of the most virulent poisons known to man out a huge smokestack located directly upwind of 75,000 people.
Note to The Anniston Star, the Chamber of Commerce and Mayor Howell: You all bewail our negative image, yet you expect to attract doctors, professional people and families with children to Anniston while promoting the incinerator? Have you lost our collective minds? It doesn’t take a public relations genius to see how badly you’re botching things. If you were well-informed, responsible leaders you would consider what the majority already want and work to retrofit the facility for an advanced alternative that will do the job faster, more safely, and without poisoning our community.
In June 2000 the Army’s Denzel Fisher told our County Commission that we could expect exposure but no fatalities during normal operating conditions of the incinerator and that FEMA would give us duct tape and plastic for our “adequate” protection. If this is not knowingly poisoning our community, pray tell what is it?
One thing I promise all of you: We will have maximum protection in place for our children, our handicapped citizens, and all the rest of us BEFORE any burning is allowed to begin. It’s our moral and legal right and ADEM will not get away with denying us that right.
Rufus Kinney
Jacksonville
