County's emergency plan available to public

Residents can obtain web access at Newton Government Center

Sunday, March 11, 2007

By Marcie Young
Charlotte Observer Staff Writer

NEWTON - Officials in Catawba County are ready to handle nuclear accidents, bioterrorism threats and severe weather, according to a local emergency response plan, and they aren't shy about sharing that information with residents.

Twenty years ago, Congress passed the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act, requiring that communities develop and update response plans in case of chemical and hazardous materials spills.

In Catawba County, officials have also expanded their emergency response plan to include mass casualties, train and plane crashes, rioting, terrorist activity and natural disasters such as floods and tornadoes.

Those plans and any revisions, Congress said, also needed to be available to the public.

In January, reporters from the Observer tested access to the plans, visiting nine North and South Carolina counties and asking for the documents.

Similar requests were made across the nation by nearly 400 journalists, students and volunteers as part of an audit for Sunshine Week, a national initiative to open a dialogue about the importance of open government and freedom of information. The week begins today.

The Catawba County Emergency Operations Plan, which is available to the public online, was easily accessible by visiting the emergency services office at the Government Center in Newton.

While residents should expect to provide their names, e-mail addresses and where they work, obtaining access to the free document should take no longer than an hour.

A login name and password will be created and e-mailed to the requestor, allowing the lengthy plan to be viewed online from home.

Catawba County's plan includes more than 100 links with information about how each county agency should respond, who is responsible and what steps should be taken. It also outlines the role of the American Red Cross and other relief groups.

"Defining the roles of each response agency reduces the confusion, chaos and conflict during an emergency and significantly decreases vulnerability of the public," the plan says.

Each year, county officials are required to tell residents about any revisions to the plan. The most recent update, according to the document, was made in August 2005.


What Are Sunshine Laws?

Sunshine laws were created under Congress' Freedom of Information Act to bring "government into the sunshine." The FOIA was passed in 1966 and amended in 2002.

Through sunshine laws, boards of commissioners, city councils and administrative agencies are required to do their work in public by holding open meetings and making documents available.

Exceptions are permitted, usually to protect national security or to safeguard the privacy of businesses.

Source: FOIA


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