Starting Monday, March 4th the Kentucky Chemical Stockpile Preparedness Program (CSEPP) will begin a media campaign. Residents of Estill County along with the other CSEPP counties will be begin seeing and hearing all kinds of disaster preparedness ads for CSEPP. We have already changed the billboards on HWY 52; you will also start seeing commercials on local TV stations and print ads in the local papers. There will also be ads on the local radio stations as well. For those of you that are not familiar with CSEPP here is some basic information to help get you started.
What is CSEPP? CSEPP stands for the Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program. CSEPP was developed to work with many government agencies to ensure public safety and to ensure that emergency personnel are equipped and ready to handle any chemical emergency. CSEPP is one part of the multi-hazard readiness program in eight U.S. communities to deal with natural and man-made emergencies of all kinds. Depending on the location of the community, such emergencies may include tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, fires, hazardous materials spills or releases and transprtation and industrial accidents. The program’s goal is to improve preparedness to protect the people of these communities in the unlikely event of an accident involving this country’s stockpiles of obsolete chemical munitions.
The United States Congress has directed that the U.S. Army destroy certain kinds of chemical weapons stockpiled at eight U.S. Army installations in the United States over the next several years. Experts believe the chance of an accident involving these obsolete chemical munitions is remote. However, local officials and responders have to be ready for such an emergency today and every day until the stockpile in their community no longer exists.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Army help these communities to meet the slight but real threat of an emergency involving chemical agent. The plans and procedures in place to deal with a stockpile accident and the constantly striving effort to enhance that preparedness is what CSEPP is all about.
Estill County EMA/CSEPP is also giving away FREE Midland Weather Radios to ALL residents of Estill County. To receive your FREE weather radio stop by our office at 182 Broadway St., Irvine, KY 40336.
If you have any questions or comments about CSEPP, please call 723-6533.
