Summer 2003 Edition  

Fair Lawn's Emergency Plan   Since September 11th, probably all of us in Fair Lawn have thought about what we should do if there was a terrorist strike. It could happen again.  There's no shortage of potential targets in the area. One that scares many people is the Indian Point nuclear power plant in Westchester County -- 24 miles from Fair Lawn.         There is a Plan First, emergency management officials urge people not to panic. The borough of Fair Lawn (in cooperation with county, state and federal officials) has prepared contingencies for various emergencies, including:  · Flooding (20% of Fair Lawn's land area is classified as a flood hazard zone)  · Release of hazardous materials (there are several facilities in town which could require partial or full-scale evacuation)  · Transportation accidents associated with hazardous materials. An accident on Fair Lawn Avenue could affect 50% of Fair Lawn's population. Accidents on Route 208, Route 4, and NJ Transit could affect 40%, 35% and 15%, respectively.     Be Prepared.  But, Don't Bother With the Duct Tape  The Director of the Office of Emergency Management in Fair Lawn, Tom Metzler, does not recommend that residents purchase duct tape and plastic wrap to cover windows. He said "they would be ineffective". But, he does suggest that every household have flashlights, batteries, a three day supply of food, prescription medicine, and a battery operated radio. Also make sure you have one gallon of water per person per day.   What You Should Do If There's An Emergency  Local emergency officials told Fair Lawn News that residents should "stay put and wait for information."   In case of an emergency, borough officials will contact residents. Keep your eyes and ears open for information on TV, radio, and the public address systems scattered around town. Fair Lawn also has an automated call system, where you will be called in the event of an emergency. (See article)   Metzler said that people need to be "part of the solution and not part of the problem. He told Fair Lawn News that "if you try to leave Fair Lawn, you could end up somewhere where you won't get any help. If there is an evacuation of Fair Lawn, we will tell you where to go, how to get there, and what kind of assistance you will receive. Going west on Route 80 at the first hint of a problem, would not be helpful. You'll get stuck in traffic and end up blocking emergency vehicles and people who really need to be on the road."   The borough's evacuation plan designates Routes 4 and 208 as well as Fair Lawn Avenue and Morlot Avenues as evacuation routes. Four schools (Radburn, TJ, Westmoreland, and Radburn) would act as staging areas for evacuation -- places where people could get assistance to leave.   Indian Point  According to Tom Metzler, it is highly unlikely that Fair Lawn residents would be directly affected by any accident or terrorist incident at the Indian Point nuclear power plant in Westchester County.   Even if there was a catastrophe at the plant, Fair Lawn would likely remain safely out of the 'hot zone'. However, Fair Lawn may need to open its door to Westchester residents. All the public schools as well as St. Annes School are designated shelters. Fair Lawn can hold about 4,000 residents from other towns. (In 1999, during Tropical Storm Floyd, 23 residents of Washington Township came to Fair Lawn High School. They were supplied with cots, food, water, toiletries, and updated information.)   What happens to your pet in an emergency?  Metzler suggests that you have plenty of food and water for your pet. If you need to evacuate your home, "you will need to leave your pet in the house. Evacuation centers cannot accommodate them."