Annual Diablo Canyon emergency information calendars now available to the public

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (KEYT) - An annual outreach effort to help provide emergency preparedness information about Diablo Canyon Power Plant (DCPP) is now underway in San Luis Obispo County.

Each year at this time, calendars that are created in collaboration between San Luis Obispo County and DCPP operator PG&E are mailed to tens of thousands of homes throughout the county.

"It's pushed out to the public in late November in the Emergency Planning Zone (EPZ), and it has a monthly calendar with beautiful photos from local photographers," said Anita Konopa, San Luis Obispo County Emergency Services Coordinator. "It also has all the important information that the public needs to know about an emergency at Diablo Canyon. We really hope that those beautiful photos help encourage the public to keep that calendar, and that they read it when it comes so they understand what they need to do in an emergency at Diablo Canyon. We also hope they retain that calendar, so in the unlikely event that something does happen at Diablo Canyon, they have that reference available at their fingertips to understand what actions they need to take."

On Tuesday, San Luis Obispo County Office of Emergency Services (OES), along with PG&E, met with members of the media as required by Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to go safety planning efforts.

"Both county officials and officials from Diablo Canyon work closely together to make sure that we have emergency plans and response in place to ensure that should something happen at Diablo Canyon, we're ready to respond," said Konopa. "One of the things that we like to do is make sure that our media partners are aware of what those plans in response look like, so once a year, we invite them to discuss with them what plans we have in place and how they can help us ensure that the public is safe if there were an emergency at Diablo Canyon."

In a statement about its emergency preparedness planning, PG&E pointed out the efforts the company takes to help ensure the safety for those who live, work and visit the Central Coast.

"At Diablo Canyon and PG&E, we have an unwavering commitment to ensure the safety and health of our coworkers and community. Through our Emergency Planning department, PG&E works with local, state, and federal agencies to implement a comprehensive emergency preparedness program with an overall objective of protecting public health and safety. These partnerships help our community to be prepared for any type of emergency, including wildfires, mudslides, and earthquakes. In Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, these efforts extend to how residents should prepare and respond to a potential emergency at Diablo Canyon Power Plant. While such an event is highly unlikely due to the facility’s robust design and numerous safeguards, it is important for local residents to have this type of preparedness information."

PG&E also provided in its statement to News Channel 3-12 some of the key elements of its partnership and collaboration with San Luis Obispo County 

• Diablo Canyon provides San Luis Obispo County with substantial funding for emergency preparedness personnel, facilities, equipment, training, and emergency planning functions. 
• The early warning system sirens throughout the Emergency Planning Zone, installed as one of the requirements related to the operation of DCPP, can be used for any local emergency and are an element of a comprehensive strategy to alert community members regarding a range of potential hazards in the area, which may include wildland fires, tsunamis, floods, etc.  
• Information about DCPP’s emergency preparedness efforts is communicated to the public through the widely distributed annual emergency planning calendar, visitors’ guides and hotel information, annual siren tests, and websites such as readyslo.org.  
• Through drills, training, and interagency coordination, we have well-developed relationships with local hospitals, Cal Fire, and the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Department. 

Should there be an emergency at DCPP, Konopa stressed community members need to look for trusted sources of information in order to help make sure that the information they're receiving is accurate.

"We ask that the public look towards county resources," said Konopa. "They can go to ReadySLO.org, they can visit County OES' social media at X, at Facebook and Instagram. They can rely on local media sources that are in communication with government officials, they can look to Diablo Canyon and PG&E, so really look to those people who are providing out information, who have an understanding of what's going on, who have made those decisions so that the information that you're getting is accurate."