By Jennifer Marino
Twenty-four-hour surveillance of the water supply is just one of the ways that Rockville Centre is protecting itself against disaster. The power plant, along with its fuel, is also under surveillance. In a meeting on May 21 sponsored by the Rockville Centre Democratic Club, Wasson and other village officials addressed the question, How safe against disaster are we?
Wasson was joined by Mayor Eugene Murray, Fire Chief Peter Stuyvesant, Lieutenant Glenn Quinn, Lieutenant Richard Fantry and Schools Superintendent Dr. William Johnson. Also in attendance were representatives of the two local hospitals, James Baker, vice president of Mercy Medical Center, and Joseph Mihalich, emergency management coordinator at South Nassau Communities Hospital.
We have crisis management experience, said Wasson. The wealth of experience of village officials in times of disaster is a major asset to Rockville Centre. As outlined by Wasson, Mayor Murray was a fire chief and saw combat during World War II, Police Commissioner Jack McKeon has conducted Naval investigations in Bahrain, Chief Stuyvesant worked for Nassau County's emergency services division and Wasson himself worked for the emergency services division of the New York Police Department.
Among the safeguards in Rockville Centre are the 52-member police department and the 340-member volunteer fire department. Terrorism is fought at all fronts. It's everybody's job, said Wasson, noting that village police officers have been trained to detect the behavior of terrorists.
The Department of Public Works also plays an important role. The power station is manned at all times and the water supply is tested six times a day at labs in Rockville Centre. It is also sent out to an independent lab for testing. Certain chemicals that are added to the water, such as chlorine, are keep in small amounts at the wells. Even if the entire supply were added to the water, it would not hurt the system.
Years before Sept. 11, 2001, the mayor and police commissioner came up with a disaster manual for Rockville Centre. It was meant for natural disasters, but it can be applied to man-made disasters, too. Many of the panelists, including Wasson, stressed that it is not likely that a terrorist would hit Rockville Centre. We're a soft target, if any target at all, said Stuyvesant.
In case of a disaster, Village Hall would become the command center. One of the first priorities would be finding shelter for people. The Martin Luther King Center, the Sandel Senior Center and the Rec Center would all serve as shelters.
Villagers in attendance were also given the opportunity to ask questions of the officials. Many were concerned about how they would find out about an emergency if there were no power and therefore no radio or television. The fire and police departments would notify and evacuate people by driving through the village making announcements on loudspeakers and going door to door, officials said. The recent gas explosion in Lakeview, to which the Rockville Centre Fire Department responded, was an example of successful door-to-door evacuation.
Besides the village, the schools are preparing to shelter children for up to three days. They have been stockpiling water and are in the process of obtaining food supplies, according to the superintendent.
James Baker of Mercy noted that the hospital has held several emergency drills, and some of its staff has been vaccinated for smallpox in an ongoing program. Plus, Mercy has a decontamination tent that can inflate in six minutes. The hospital can also run for three days on its generators, according to Baker. Joseph Mihalich of South Nassau said that the two hospitals are in communication and can coordinate their efforts. They are also in constant communication with all other area hospitals in order to keep track of similar symptoms showing up in the area.
Stuyvesant shared an acronym with the crowd: RAIN recognize the situation, avoid the situation, isolate it and notify proper authorities.
Officials believe Rockville Centre is as ready as possible for the unexpected. I think we're in very good shape, said Wasson.
