Vermont Yankee Exercise

[Chris Santee]

Statewide Vermont Yankee Exercise Tuesday and Wednesday

Activity likely to be seen around Emergency Planning Zone

WATERBURY –Local, state, and federal emergency responders will be taking part in a response exercise around the Vermont Yankee Emergency Planning Zone in Vermont this week.  Emergency responders will likely be seen in and around the towns of Vernon, Guildford, Brattleboro, Halifax, Dummerston, and Marlboro on Tuesday and Wednesday April 5 and 6.

Sampling teams will be out in the field on Wednesday the 6th, so there should be no reason for alarm as this is only part of the drill and has been planned for some time. 

The state of Vermont, EPZ towns, and federal officials are taking part in a graded exercise on May 3rd and 4th and this week’s drill is in preparation for that test.  The exercise in May is a biennial drill mandated by the federal government to demonstrate readiness in the event of an accident at the Vermont Yankee nuclear facility.

If there is an actual emergency at the plant, established protocols will be followed to alert the public; including sirens, Emergency Alert System messages, and other forms of communication.