Federal authorities have established 10- and 50-mile Emergency Planning Zones as the basis for planning to protect the public from exposure to radiation in the unlikely event of an accident at a nuclear power plant. For areas within 10 miles of a nuclear power plant the planning zone is called the Exposure Path Zone (EPZ), and for areas within 10 to 50 miles of a nuclear power plant the planning zone is called the Ingestion Path Zone (IPZ). The City of Fort Lauderdale’s most southern boundary is located just within the 50-mile IPZ for Turkey Point Nuclear Power Plant, which is located 24 miles south of Miami at Turkey Point.

Planning for the 50-mile IPZ includes identifying and monitoring crops that may be consumed by humans or animals, and dairy and/or drinking water facilities or supplies that are located in an open environment that could be exposed to radioactive fallout.

An accident or incident at a nuclear power plant is classified in one of four ways:

• Unusual Event - minor incident such as severe weather.
• Alert - minor incident that could affect reactor safety.
• Site Area Emergency - more serious, reactor could be leaking.
• General Emergency - most severe, radiation release off site possible.

The public within these zones could be notified of such events by a variety of methods, including:

• Radio
• Television
• Door-to-door Notification
• Public Safety Vehicle
• Marine interests via Marine VHF radio

Fort Lauderdale Public Safety Officials and personnel of the Emergency Management Bureau in concert with Broward County and State Emergency Management Officials participate with officials from the power plant industry and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) on a scheduled recurring basis to determine the effectiveness of Local, County and State Radiological Emergency Planning. For additional safety planning information for neighbors of Florida Power and Light nuclear power plants, visit their web site at https://www.fpl.com/clean-energy/nuclear/st-lucie-plant.html.