Official: Get Educated About Nuclear Emergencies
WOODSTOCK, Ill. (WBBM) -- A suburban emergency response official says a conference she recently attended made it clear to her we all need to be better educated about possible nuclear radiation emergencies.
As WBBM Newsradio 780's Bernie Tafoya reports, the federal conference that Keri Zaleski attended last week had been planned before the nuclear radiation crisis in Japan. But it turned out to be very timely.
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Zaleski is the emergency response coordinator for the McHenry County Department of Health. She says everyone needs to be prepared for a nuclear radiation emergency.
One of the first priorities is "shelter in place," in other words, get inside a building.
"The reason for that is that after a nuclear disaster, what you want to make sure is you put a barrier between yourself and any radioactivity," she said.
Zaleski says preparation is key because in the case of a nuclear radiation emergency, massive help could be 48 to 72 hours away.
