If you reside within 10 miles of the Callaway Nuclear Plant, you live in the area called the Emergency Planning Zone, (EPZ).   This is the area east of St. Aubert, west of Route N and within five miles of the Missouri River.  Emergency action levels established by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission come in four classes:  Unusual Event (minor event involving no public danger), Alert, Site Area Emergency and General Emergency (major event involving protective actions to be taken).    

According to the federal and state emergency operations plans, the emergency alert system (EAS) will be activated if a nuclear plant incident escalates to the Site Area Emergency.  There are three kinds of alert systems used within the 10 mile EPZ:  sirens, tone-alert radios and emergency notifications.    

Sirens are located in areas of high population (Chamois and two other locations east of Chamois on Highway 100).  If you hear a siren, go indoors and tune your radio to the emergency alert station, 106.9 FM.  The emergency alert station will keep you informed of what’s happening and what actions to take.  

Tone alert radios have been provided to homes in areas of low populations.  If the radio is tuned to 106.9 FM, it will come on automatically if there is an emergency.  Again, the emergency alert station will keep you informed.  If you reside in the EPZ and do not have a tone-alert radio, or you believe your radio may be defective, please call 573-897-3561.  

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If an incident occurs at the nuclear plant, affected residents and visitors will receive an alert through the county emergency notification system (Smart911) or a Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA). 

 

Based on guidance from Callaway Nuclear Plant personnel, the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) and the Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS), the Osage County Emergency Operations Center, comprised of county officials and response agencies, will advise you what to do during an emergency.  

Please be informed of the following safety practices for you, your family and your pets if an emergency occurs at the plant:

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• Shelter-in-Place: If the recommendation is to shelter-in-place, follow these three simple steps: (1) go inside your home (or vehicle if caught outdoors), move everyone to one room. Turn off your heating and air conditioning units. Close and seal all doors, windows and vents with plastic and duct tape (2) Stay tuned to 106.9 FM or a local television station for further emergency information (3) As with all disasters, limit telephone usage to emergency calls only. This is to prevent the telephone lines from being overloaded with non-emergency calls. Stay inside until the all clear has been given.
   

• Evacuation: If the recommended action is to evacuate, attempt to pack enough items to be gone for 3-5 days (clothes, medication, activities for children, etc). It is recommended that you leave pets and livestock at home with enough food and water. Evacuation routes out of the EPZ are Highway 100, Highway 89 and Highway N. If an evacuation is recommended, traffic control points will be established to inform residents where to go.

  

Based on the extremely conservative measures established by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Callaway Energy Center, and since Chamois RI is the only school that falls within the 10 mile EPZ in Osage County, they will be only school district instructed to evacuate during a nuclear incident.  The school district, along with the rest of the 10 mile EPZ, will have advance notice and be instructed to evacuate the area and travel to a safe area.  The safe area designated for the Osage County EPZ is Jason Gym in the Lincoln University campus and the Hermann Middle School.   

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The response plan involves help from local, state and federal agencies, volunteer organizations and Ameren Missouri personnel.  Special training, drills and annual emergency exercises ensure all goes well in case of a real emergency.  For more information, Callaway Energy Center brochures are available at the Osage County Emergency Operations Center located at 205 E Main Street, Linn, Missouri.

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Osage County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Procedures  

The role of the Osage County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is to provide a central location from which our county can provide inter-agency coordination and executive decision making in support of the incident response.  The EOC collectively, coordinates and supports the responders such as acquire and track resources, manage information, providing legal and financial support and act as the liaison between other jurisdictions and levels of government.  By providing this support role, we are allowing the incident commanders to focus on managing the incident and that’s what’s most important.  

When a disaster occurs, the Emergency Management Director (EMD) will request an EOC activation of the Commission.  With approval, the EMD will activate the EOC.   A primary member of each discipline is called and responds ready to assist with the disaster.  The different disciplines that serve on the EOC staff are the County Commission, law enforcement, 911, a public information officer, transportation, county health, EMS, fire, Road & Bridge, HAM radio operators, Osage County Special Services, schools and USDA.  

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Callaway Nuclear Plant Emergencies  

The Ameren Missouri Emergency Planning Information booklet contains very important information regarding nuclear plant emergencies.  It is included in this packet and you are encouraged to read it thoroughly.  

Emergency action levels established by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission come in four classes.  (See page 1 of the Ameren Missouri Emergency Planning Information booklet for more details about each level).  

1. Unusual Event (minor event involving no public danger) - During an Unusual event, the EOC staff will be notified and placed on standby. 

2. Alert - During an Alert, the EOC will activate with the approval of the Commission. This is also when the schools are notified that the bus services could be interrupted. The buses owned by Jim Wright are the primary buses to evacuate the Chamois RI School district. However, the Rudroff Bus Company in Linn, and the Temmen Bus Company in Westphalia will provide buses and drivers if needed. If this happened, bus services throughout the county, not just Chamois, would be interrupted. 

3.  Site Area Emergency – Ameren Missouri sends a representative to assist in the Osage County EOC.  During the Site Area Emergency, the critical facilities are notified (Chamois R-1 School District).  Sirens will sound, tone alert radios will activate with broadcast messages from 106.9 FM, and emergency notification calls will be made. 

This is the classification in which recommendations will most likely start coming down to the county from state agencies.  Examples are: the Department of Health and Senior Services will most likely recommend milk animals be placed on stored feed and water (the USDA/Farm Service Agency assists with these notifications to producers); access control of airways and river (this is done by state agencies); review locations of functional needs personnel within the EPZ (the Department of Family Services and Osage County Special Services assists with this).   

This is the first time residents in the EPZ will receive an official notification of an emergency at the nuclear plant.  When you receive the notification, tune to 106.9 FM and/or your local television station for further emergency information.  Keep in mind, 911 services will be inundated with phone calls and radio traffic from emergency responders.  Please do not dial 911 unless you have a life-threatening emergency.  The State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) will be releasing a “rumor control” phone number for you to call for important, but non-emergency questions.  

The Site Area Emergency is also when a strong law enforcement presence would be noticed.  Traffic control points and the Chamois RI School District may be manned during this classification to assist with traffic control in the event of an evacuation or perimeter control for a shelter-in-place recommendation.

The school will not release children until safe to do so from this point. That may be at the Reception and Care Center or after the ALL CLEAR has been given if a shelter-in-place recommendation is given.  

4.  General Emergency (A major event that means safety condition have deteriorated to where a significant release of radioactive material beyond plant boundaries is occurring or may occur.) - Evacuation or shelter-in-place emergency protective action measures will be recommended by state and Ameren officials.  Based on those recommendations, the EOC will advise the public via 106.9 FM, emergency notification calls, sirens, tone alert radios and official press releases.  

If a shelter-in-place recommendation is approved, please follow these instructions: 

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1. Go inside your home, move everyone to one room. Turn off your heating and air conditioning units. Close and seal all doors, windows and vents with plastic and duct tape.

2. Stay tuned to 106.9 FM or a local television station for further emergency information.

3. As with all disasters, limit telephone usage to emergency calls only. This is to prevent the telephone lines from being overloaded with non-emergency calls.  Stay inside until the all clear has been given.

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If an evacuation is recommended, please follow these instructions:

 

1. Attempt to pack enough items to be gone for 3-5 days (clothes, medication, activities for children, etc). 

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2. It is recommended that you leave pets and livestock at home with enough food and water.  (The designated reception and care centers will not allow pets or livestock in their facilities).  

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3. Evacuation routes out of the EPZ are Highway 100, Highway 89 and Highway N (EPZ Evacuation map with traffic control locations). 

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4. If an evacuation is recommended, traffic control points will be established to inform residents where to go  (EPZ map).  You will be instructed to go to either the Jason Gymnasium on the Lincoln University Campus or the Hermann Middle School in Hermann (Reception and Care Center maps).

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While the need to evacuate would be extremely rare, if an evacuation is recommended, it is extremely important to listen to instructions provided by emergency responders and local and state officials.  If you are being evacuated, it’s because radioactive material has been released into the air and you and your family members may need to be decontaminated and these services will be provided at the reception and care centers. 

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If an evacuation is conducted, parents will be notified by the school’s notification system and children will be released based on the school’s emergency procedures (please contact the school for more information).  

If you are in need of transportation out of the EPZ for whatever reason, dial 911 and emergency responders will pick you up and take you to a bus located at one of two transportation pick up points (EPZ map). The bus will take you to the designated reception and care center.  If you know you will need transportation for whatever reason, i.e. no vehicle, elderly, handicapped, etc., please notify the EOC now versus waiting until an emergency. 

If you are uncertain if you reside within the EPZ, please review the EPZ map or contact the EOC to get more information.  

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