Notice to Media: Future Arizona JIC Press Releases Will Now Be Sent Out Under the State and Federal Disaster News Letterhead
Federal, state, tribal and local authorities continue to conduct a coordinated response to the radiological explosion at the intersection of the Loop 101 and Loop 202 freeways on Tuesday, Oct. 16.
The Loop 101 (from US 60 north to McKellips Road) and Loop 202 (from Scottsdale Road to County Club Drive) freeways are closed until further notice. Citizens are encouraged to avoid the disaster scene and be aware of the following:
- Radiation levels in the area have been measured and are comparable to those of a CAT scan - however, evacuation of an area around the explosion has been conducted. Public shelters are open in Maricopa County at Wells Fargo Arena, U.S. Airways Arena and Chase Field.
- This incident should not disrupt the daily routine of those outside the affected area, however, residents are encouraged to revisit their family emergency response plan and prepare accordingly.
- Initial reports state that 64 individuals were killed in the blast and another 250 injured.
Current information, ongoing activities and public safety messages include:
Health
- Citizens seriously injured in the blast should seek assistance at local hospitals.
- Citizens in the incident area who were not injured are encouraged to shelter in place. Remove clothing and isolate it in a sealed plastic bag and shower or bathe with lukewarm water.
- The domestic water supply is being tested.
- Tempe’s South Water Treatment Plant remains closed; there is no interruption in water service in the City of Tempe.
- Any food or beverage not exposed to the blast or its debris should be considered safe for consumption.
- Discard any food or beverage that may have been exposed.
Transportation
- Highways and Streets
- Intersection of Loops 101 & 202 closed in all four directions.
- Detailed radiological survey is in progress - a Federal Radiological Monitoring and Assessment Center (FRMAC) Team has arrived is assisting in this assessment.
- FBI is expected to approve opening of the 202 and the 101 north of the 202 subject to the radiation contamination assessment.
- Airports and Airspace
- Sky Harbor International Airport is closed.
- All air traffic is being diverted to Tucson.
- Due to the closure, approximately 30,000 travelers are stranded. The City of Phoenix has opened shelters to accommodate travelers at three sites: Chase Field, Phoenix Civic Center, and the Airport Car Rental Center.
- Airspace closures: Restricted airspace implemented within 5 mile radius up to 10,000 feet of incident site.
Evacuation and Sheltering
- Area targeted for evacuation includes approximately 9,400 persons.
- Evacuees in Maricopa County are being cared for and may report to the following shelters:
- Wells Fargo Arena
- U.S. Airways Arena
- Chase Field
- Approx 5,000 evacuees in Pinal County are receiving shelter.
- Pets in Maricopa County are being sheltered at Chase Field by Maricopa County Animal Care and Control.
Public Facility Closures
- Elementary Schools
- Due to the evacuation in Mesa, the following schools in the Mesa Public School District are closed today: Westwood High School, East Valley Academy, TAPP, Washington Elementary, Webster Elementary, Whittier Elementary, Whitman Elementary, Carson Junior High, Powell Junior High, Rhodes Junior High, Alma Elementary, Emerson Elementary, Adams Elementary, Roosevelt Elementary, Guerrero Elementary and Redbird Elementary.
- In addition, the Mesa School District Food and Nutrition Center and Material and Distribution Center are also closed today.
- Universities
- Arizona State University (all campuses) are closed until further notice.
State & Local Response Activities
- First Responders: The following mutual resources have been deployed to the incident site from Maricopa, Pinal and Yavapai Counties:
- 14 Hazardous Materials Response Teams
- 17 Ladder Trucks
- Six Alarms (120 fire engines)
- National Guard
- 91st Civil Support Team (CST) (22 guardsmen) deployed to incident site; Nevada's CST will arrive on October 17 to augment Arizona's Team.
- Rapid Response Team (33 guardsmen) being mobilized to augment Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station security force (approx 30 guardsmen).
- Mutual Aid: Invoked intra-state mutual aid and national EMAC; personnel support being provided by five counties.
Federal Response
- On Tuesday, the President declared an emergency exists in the state of Arizona and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local response efforts.
- Emergency Response Team- A was deployed to Arizona and established Joint Field Office.
- The President's action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to coordinate all federal disaster relief efforts that have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population.
- DHS is coordinating with multiple federal agencies to deploy federal assets to support Arizona as needed for evacuations, sheltering and other emergency operations to ensure the safety of the affected population.
- Responding agencies onsite include ATF, FBI, US Postal Inspection Service, and FEMA.