V.C. Summer Nuclear Station

Emergency preparedness information for those living and/or working near V.C. Summer Nuclear Station on how to prepare in the unlikely event of an emergency.

It is important to know which types of disasters could affect your area. Your Emergency Plan will contain emergency contacts, medical information, your protective action zone, evacuation and sheltering information, and more.

Your Emergency Kit should have supplies to last at least three days for each family member. Keep it in an easy-to-carry bag, such as a backpack, duffel bag, or suitcase.

Kit items include:

• First Aid Kit (including list of allergies, extra contact lenses, glasses)
• Non-perishable foods/can opener
• Matches/lighters
• Water, one gallon per person per day
• Medications
• Flashlight / extra batteries
• Photo ID
• Potassium Iodide (KI)
• Local Map
• Important documents/cash
• Clothing/blankets
• Phone and phone chargers
• Tools
• Items for individuals with access and functional needs
• Personal items
• Infant/children supplies
• Pet supplies

Persons with access and functional needs who may need help in an evacuation—Complete and return the Individuals With Access and Functional Needs Survey. This survey is mailed to you every year.

Residents must complete and mail, at no cost, the survey card every year. You may also contact your locality to learn what options are available. Contact information is provided under More Information. If you become ill or need assistance at the time of an emergency, contact your local sheriff or ambulance service.

Not all shelters and hotels accept pets. Plan ahead to stay with family, friends, or at pet-friendly locations if you need to evacuate your home. If a hotel has a no-pets policy, ask the hotel can waive the policy during the emergency. Don’t hesitate to leave your home in an emergency because you don’t want to leave your pet(s) behind.

Kit items include:

• Microchip pet
• Pet carrier
• Non-spill water and food bowls
• Pet food and water for at least three days
• Pet vaccination/medical records
• Medications
• Collar with ID tag and leash (include backups)
• Familiar items/toys/bedding
• Plastic bags/litter
• Photograph of your pet
• Extra newspaper/disinfectant

The following are pet-friendly hotel resources: bringfido.com, dogfriendly.com, petswelcome.com, and tripswithpets.com.

• Develop an Emergency Plan and Kit - keep handy. Visit SCEMD’s Emergency Planning for Your Family webpage for additional info.
• Download the SC Emergency Manager Mobile App.
• Develop a Pet Emergency Plan and Kit - keep handy. Visit SCEMD’s Preparing Your Pets in an Emergency webpage for additional info.
• Identify a pet friendly hotel.
• If identified as someone with access and functional needs who would need help in an evacuation, complete and return the Individuals With Access and Functional Needs Survey that is mailed to you annually to register. Or, contact your locality directly for additional info.

Local radio and TV stations will have information and provide actions to take to keep you safe in the unlikely emergency event at V.C. Summer. The public will be alerted and notified of an emergency via the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS). IPAWS is FEMA’s national system for local alerting that provides authenticated emergency and life-saving information to the public.

In an emergency, an emergency alert will be sent to your emergency alert-enabled mobile device at no charge to you. When you receive an emergency alert on your phone, tune in to one of your local radio or TV station for emergency information and instructions.

Receiving an emergency alert on your phone, does NOT mean you should evacuate. It means turn on your local radio or television station(s) and listen for information and instructions on what to do. A list of local television and radio stations is provided below.

In order to receive an alert on your phone, you must have a mobile device and be located in the affected area where the alert is being sent. To ensure you receive the alert, go to your mobile phone’s settings, under notifications, scroll to the bottom and confirm all Emergency Alerts are turned on.

In an emergency, parents of school children need to listen to local radio and/or radio station(s) for updates on school status and instructions. Emergency officials will advise schools on what actions to take. If told to evacuate, the schools will go to the to their assigned Reception Center. List of schools and assigned Reception Centers provided below.

• Check emergency alerts are turned on your mobile device.
• Know how you will be alerted an emergency – an emergency alert to mobile device (via FEMA IPAWS).
• Review your child’s emergency school plan on how you will be notified of your child’s status in an emergency each school year.
• Learn how to stay informed before, during and after an emergency at SCEMD Stay Informed.

The 10-mile area around V.C. Summer Nuclear Station is divided up into 13 zones, called Protective Action Zones (PAZ). Knowing your PAZ will let you know if your zone is affected by the emergency and what actions to take to keep you safe.

Listen carefully to instructions specific to your zone. Not all PAZs may be affected by the emergency or need to evacuate.

If your PAZ is instructed to evacuate, listen for instructions to report to your assigned Reception Center. Reception Centers offer contamination monitoring, decontamination if necessary, and other care services.

If you live or work within the 10-mile area of V.C. Summer Nuclear Station, access the SCEMD’s Nuclear Facility Zones interactive map and find your PAZ or view in the SC Emergency Manager mobile app. You may also view the static map.

Below is a list of Reception Centers. Unless told otherwise, use the primary evacuation route below to get to your assigned Reception Center.

• Know your PAZ and assigned Reception Center in an evacuation.
• If a parent of school children, know your child’s school assigned Reception Center if told to evacuate.

• Stay calm, review your emergency plan. In an event, you will have time to take necessary action.
• Turn on local radio or TV station(s).
• Grab your emergency kit. Grab all essentials for you, your family, and pet(s), You may be away from home for several days.
• Keep up to date and listen to instructions. Ensure your phone is enabled to receive emergency alerts and listen to local radio or TV for information and potential actions to take to keep you safe.
• Limit telephone use to emergencies only. Keep the lines open for official use.
• Check on family and friends who may need assistance.
• Know your children’s school emergency plan. Review emergency school plan(s) and procedure(s) each school year.
• Secure your home and turn off appliances. Lock doors and windows. Turn off appliances (except refrigerator and freezer).
• Tie a white handkerchief or cloth to door or mailbox. This indicates to authorities that you have left your home.
• Drive safely to your Reception Center. If directed, report to your assigned Reception Center for contamination monitoring and other potential protective actions. Close windows, vents, and turn off air conditioner and heater.
• If registered as an individual needing evacuation assistance, wait for instructions from your locality.
• Return home when directed. When the emergency has ended, emergency officials will provide instructions for returning home.
• For questions during an emergency and for more information, contact SC 2-1-1 and/or visit the SCEMD website.

• Stay calm—stay inside. Stay in the middle of the building, as much as possible, and close all windows and doors. Prepare to stay inside for at least three days.
• If driving, close windows and vents and turn off air conditioner and heater.
• Bring pets and livestock inside. Plan for at least three days.
• Close all windows and doors, and turn off all devices that draw outside air, if possible. You can use fans or heating devices inside the home to keep warm or cool.
• Close chimney flues when possible.
• Keep informed and listen to instructions. Continue to monitor local radio or TV and follow instructions. Do not evacuate unless directed.
• Limit telephone use to emergencies only. Keep the lines open for official use.
• For questions during an emergency and for more information, contact SC 2-1-1 and/or visit the SCEMD website.

Not every radiological emergency will result in the release of radiation. Potassium iodide, also known as KI, is a form of iodine. KI is used as a supplemental protective action. KI helps protect your thyroid gland if there is a chance you might be exposed to a harmful amount of radiation. A 2-day supply of KI tablets is provided at no cost to residents living or working within the 10-mile area around V.C. Summer Nuclear Station by the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services (SCDES).

To obtain your 2-day KI supply, go to your local SCDES county public health department and bring some form of identification or paperwork that shows you live or work within the 10-mile area of V.C. Summer Nuclear Station (no appointment necessary):

• Fairfield County Health Department
  1136 Kincaid Bridge Rd.; Winnsboro, SC 29180
• Lexington County Health Department
  1070-B South Lake Dr.; Lexington, SC 29073
• Newberry County Health Department
  2111 Wilson Rd.; Newberry, SC 29108
• Richland County Health Department
  2000 Hampton St.; Columbia, SC 29204

Residents living outside the 10-mile area can purchase KI tablets from their personal pharmacy.

If KI is recommended in an emergency, it is important to follow exact dosing, which can be found on South Carolina Department of Public Health Potassium Iodide (KI) webpage. Especially in young children and infants, giving too much KI can cause more serious side effects and health issues.

KI can be taken by most people and is safe for babies and small children. Some people with certain thyroid conditions should consult their doctors BEFORE taking KI. In addition, those people who:

• have a known allergy to iodine (as is used in X-ray dye)
• have a shellfish allergy (and know they are allergic to the iodine, not the protein)
• have certain disorders (such as dermatitis herpetiformis or urticaria vasculitis).

If you have those conditions or believe you might be allergic to iodine, consult your doctor at your next appointment and request guidance on whether you can take KI in the event of a nuclear power plant incident.

Visit SCDES’s Radiation, Nuclear Safety webpage for more information on radiation, KI, and SCDES's Nuclear Response and Emergency Environmental Surveillance section, or call 1-844-723-7377.

Livestock and poultry owners are responsible for the care and wellbeing of their animals. Livestock and poultry are domesticated animals typically raised on a farm or other agricultural setting and include but are not limited to cattle, horses/donkeys, pigs, sheep, goats, chickens, and turkeys.

Livestock and poultry owners, farmers, and producers should develop and maintain an emergency plan specific to their needs to use in the case of an evacuation.

Nuclear plant emergencies may impact livestock, food, and agricultural products. Protective actions for livestock and agricultural products will be issued by appropriate state and local officials.

These actions may include:

• Restriction of movement for livestock, poultry, food and feed items, and other agricultural products.
• If possible, shelter farm animals and provide stored (covered) feed and protected water (e.g., protective self-feeders and automatic waterers).
• Store feed in buildings or cover with plastic or canvas if outdoors.
• Cover open wells and water tanks.

For more information and guidance on disaster planning for livestock and agriculture, visit:

• SCEMD’s Agriculture and Nuclear Power in South Carolina factsheet
• Clemson University Livestock Poultry Health (Office of the SC State Veterinarian)
• Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service

• Know what to do if told to evacuate or shelter-in-place in an emergency.
• Know where to obtain your 2-day KI supply.
• If directed to take KI, take the exact amount directed for your age group. Do NOT take KI unless directed. Do NOT give KI to pets.
• Have a plan for protecting livestock and/or agricultural products.

Nuclear power plants are designed and operated under strict safety and security regulations and practices. Multiple layers of safety systems and structures protect the plant and community from an emergency:

• Reactor safety systems with several backup systems to provide reliable protection.
• Containment buildings are made out of thick concrete and steel strong enough to withstand powerful forces (e.g., hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, and explosions).
• Thorough emergency plans and procedures.
• Highly skilled, trained, and regularly tested personnel.
• Highly secured, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

There are three protective barriers (also referred to as fission product barriers) that prevent radiation from getting into the environment: (1) fuel cladding, (2) reactor vessel and cooling system, and (3) containment.

• Fuel Cladding: The fuel cladding serves as the first and primary fission product barrier. Fuel cladding is the outer layer of the fuel rods, standing between the reactor coolant and the nuclear fuel (i.e., fuel pellets). It prevents corrosion of the fuel.
• Reactor Coolant System: The reactor coolant system acts as the second fission product barrier. Within the large steel reactor vessel, the reactor coolant system includes the pipes and components (e.g., reactor vessel, coolant pumps and piping) that supports the transfer and process of reactor coolant (water) to remove heat from the reactor core.
• Containment Building: The containment building acts as the third fission product barrier. The containment is a concrete shield building and steel containment vessel that houses the reactor vessel, steam generators, and piping of the reactor coolant system.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) defines four emergency classifications that could occur at a nuclear power station. Dominion Energy would contact federal, state, and local authorities in each of the following situations:

• Unusual Event is the least serious level, indicating a potential or minor event at the station. Radioactive release, if any, is minimal and far below Federal guidelines. There is no impact to the public and no public action needed. Support from state and local emergency officials is not needed.
• Alert is a more serious level, indicating an event that may affect station safety. Radioactive release, if any, is minimal and far below Federal guidelines. There is no impact to the public and no public action needed. State and local emergency officials will share information with the public as needed.
• Site Area Emergency is a serious level, indicating an event that may affect or has affected plant safety. Radioactive release, if any, should remain under Federal guidelines. When alerted, you should tune in to local radio and television stations for information and instructions. State and local emergency officials may recommend actions for the public to take.
• General Emergency is the most serious level that involves a serious event that may affect or has affected plant safety. Radioactive release, if any, may exceed Federal guidelines. When alerted, you should tune in to local radio and television stations for information and instructions for protective actions. State and local emergency officials will direct actions for the public to take.

Visit or contact your local/state emergency management or public safety agency for additional emergency preparedness and response information specific to your area.

• FEMA.gov
• Ready.gov
• CDC: Radiation Emergencies
• EPA: Radiation Emergencies and Preparedness
• NRC: How Can I Prepare for a Radiological Emergency?