SECTION 4: RISK ASSESSMENT
The entire county is at risk to a nuclear incident. However, areas in the southwest part of the region are more susceptible due to their proximity to the Harris Nuclear Plant and its 10-mile EPZ.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission defines two emergency planning zones around nuclear plants. Areas located within 10 miles of the station are considered to be within the zone of highest risk to a nuclear incident and this radius is the designated evacuation radius recommended by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Within the 10-mile zone, the primary concern is exposure to and inhalation of radioactive contamination. The most concerning effects in the secondary 50-mile zone are related to ingestion of food and liquids that may have been contaminated. All areas of the county that are not located within the 10-mile radius are located within this 50-mile radius that is still considered to be at risk from a nuclear incident. Extent The International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA) developed the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale to quantify the magnitude of radiological events. This scale is logarithmic, meaning each increasing level represents a 10-fold increase in severity compared to the previous level.
Source: International Atomic Energy Association
Impact: 4 – Catastrophic Spatial Extent: 2 – Small
Historical Occurrences As reported in the 2018 State Hazard Mitigation Plan, Harris Nuclear Plant is one of only three plants in the country to have had no Nuclear Regulatory Commission findings as of September 2017. Therefore, there are no recent historical occurrences of any serious incidents at the Harris Plant. However, there have been events that warranted emergency declarations at both the Harris Nuclear Plant and the
Wake County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan 2019
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