Sequoyah Nuclear Plant

The Sequoyah Nuclear Plant is located near Soddy-Daisy, Tennessee. The Tennessee Emergency Management Authority works with the Tennessee Valley Authority, local emergency management agencies, and other partners to support emergency planning for communities surrounding the plant.

Residents, businesses, schools, and visitors near Sequoyah should know their emergency planning sector, understand how they will receive emergency information, and be prepared to follow instructions from local and state officials.

Find Your Emergency Planning Sector

The area within approximately 10 miles of the Sequoyah Nuclear Plant is divided into emergency planning sectors. These sectors help emergency officials provide location-specific protective action and evacuation instructions.

Use the address finder to determine whether your home, workplace, school, or another frequently visited location is within the Sequoyah Emergency Planning Zone and identify its sector.

Sequoyah Emergency Preparedness Information

TVA provides detailed emergency preparedness information for communities near the Sequoyah Nuclear Plant, including:

If You Hear Sirens

Outdoor warning sirens near the Sequoyah Nuclear Plant are designed to alert people to seek additional information. Hearing a siren does not automatically mean you should evacuate.

Regular siren tests are generally conducted on the first Wednesday of each month at noon. Testing may be postponed because of severe weather or other conditions.

If you hear a siren outside a scheduled test:

  • Go indoors and seek additional information.
  • Tune to local radio or television stations.
  • Monitor official local and state information sources.
  • Do not call 911 for information.
  • Follow instructions from emergency officials.

WUSY-FM 100.7 is the primary Emergency Alert System radio station for the Sequoyah area. Emergency information may also be shared through local television, NOAA Weather Radio, official websites, social media, and local notification systems.

What You Should Do

During an emergency, officials may direct people in specific sectors to take protective actions. Instructions will depend on the incident, weather conditions, location, and areas that could be affected.

Protective actions may include:

Monitoring and Preparing means to stay informed and prepare for the possibility of additional protective actions. Review your emergency plan, gather essential items, and be ready to act if instructions change.

Go inside the nearest safe building and remain there until officials provide additional information. Stay away from windows and exterior doors when possible and continue monitoring official information.

Shelter in Place means you need to:

  • Go indoors,
  • Close and lock doors and windows,
  • Turn off systems, like an HVAC, that bring outside air into the structure,
  • And move to an interior room if directed.

You should continue to Shelter in Place until officials say it is safe to leave.

If you are instructed to evacuate the area, follow the evacuation route assigned to your sector and do not take shortcuts. Taking the wrong route or evacuating before being instructed could interfere with emergency operations or place you at greater risk. Additionally, please only leave when instructed to do so. This ensures roads remain open for emergency personnel.

Planning for Additional Assistance

The annual TVA emergency preparedness calendar includes a pre-addressed, postage-paid postcard that residents can use to identify assistance they may need during an emergency.

If you or someone in your household may need help receiving alerts, evacuating, or accessing emergency services, complete and return the postcard included with your calendar. If you have not already submitted it, residents are strongly encouraged to do so.

This information helps emergency planners prepare for needs within the community, including those of:

  • People without reliable transportation
  • People with disabilities
  • Older adults
  • People who depend on medical equipment
  • People with limited English proficiency
  • Individuals who may need additional evacuation assistance

Residents may also contact their local emergency management agency to discuss preparedness needs or request additional planning information.

Agriculture Information

Farms and agricultural operations within 50 miles of a nuclear power plant are part of the Ingestion Pathway Zone. Emergency planning within this area focuses on protecting food, milk, drinking water, crops, livestock, and other agricultural products from potential contamination.

During a radiological emergency, state and local officials would monitor conditions, collect samples, and provide instructions based on the areas that may be affected. Farmers, livestock owners, food producers, and agricultural businesses should follow official guidance and avoid taking unnecessary actions before conditions have been evaluated.

Additional guidance may be provided through state and local emergency officials, the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, and local University of Tennessee Extension offices.

During an emergency:

  • Monitor official information from state and local emergency officials.
  • Follow instructions concerning food, water, livestock, crops, and agricultural products.
  • Protect stored animal feed and water supplies from outdoor exposure when possible.
  • Avoid using potentially affected surface water until officials confirm it is safe.
  • Do not harvest, sell, distribute, consume, or destroy agricultural products unless instructed to do so.

State and local agencies may restrict the use or distribution of milk, food, water, or other products while testing is completed.

Farm animals generally will not be evacuated during a radiological emergency. Sheltering animals and limiting their exposure to outdoor contamination may be the most effective protective action.

When directed or when it can be done safely:

  • Move animals into an enclosed or covered shelter.
  • Close doors and windows when possible while maintaining adequate ventilation.
  • Protect animals from rainwater and other outdoor exposure.
  • Provide stored feed and covered or protected water.
  • Do not allow animals to graze until emergency officials say it is safe.

If animals cannot be moved indoors, place them in the most protected area available and limit their contact with potentially contaminated grass, feed, water, and soil.

 

Milk can be affected quickly because it moves rapidly from the animal to the consumer. Dairy producers should be prepared to:

  • Shelter dairy animals first.
  • Remove lactating animals from pasture when instructed.
  • Provide uncontaminated stored feed and protected water.
  • Hold milk from distribution when directed by emergency officials.

Do not dispose of milk unless instructed to do so. Officials may collect samples and provide guidance about whether milk can be safely used, stored, processed, or distributed.

The effect of a radiological release on farmland and crops will depend on the type and amount of radioactive material released, weather conditions, and where the material settles.

Emergency officials may:

  • Collect samples of soil, crops, water, milk, feed, and other products.
  • Restrict harvesting, processing, movement, sale, or consumption of certain products.
  • Recommend temporarily leaving fields unused.
  • Provide guidance on plowing, storage, decontamination, or alternative uses of affected land and crops.

Do not use, harvest, sell, or destroy crops unless advised to do so by emergency officials.

Local Emergency Management Agency Information

Local emergency management agencies provide community-specific emergency information and can help residents identify their emergency planning sector, understand local alerting systems, and plan for additional assistance.

Hamilton County

Hamilton County Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security

Contact Hamilton County Emergency Management for local preparedness information, assistance identifying your emergency planning sector, or questions about emergency plans near the Sequoyah Nuclear Plant.

Phone: 423-209-6911
 

Bradley County

Cleveland-Bradley County Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security

Contact Cleveland-Bradley County Emergency Management for local preparedness information, assistance identifying your emergency planning sector, or questions about emergency plans near the Sequoyah Nuclear Plant.

Phone: 423-728-7289

Additional Resources