Seabrook, NH Teachers Push For Nuclear Disaster Evacuation Plan

SEABROOK, NH (CBS) - Some New Hampshire teachers who work near the nuclear power plant in Seabrook claim there is no evacuation plan in place for students if there is a nuclear disaster.

WBZ-TV's Karen Anderson reports

Forty-eight teachers from Seabrook Middle School signed a letter to Governor John Lynch asking him to look into the situation. Dianne Dunfey wrote the letter, and says no one is in charge of the kids.

Right now, 17 cities and towns around Seabrook take part in emergency training with the power plant every year.

The state has three "reception centers" in Manchester, Dover and Rochester, where people are taken.

State officials say school officials are in charge of evacuating kids, because they don't want parents to go to the schools and cause traffic problems.

Here's the problem: years ago, a judge ruled that if there is a nuclear emergency, teachers are not required to go with children on the buses, so they can take care of their own families.

Dunfey says there has been no training of who will look after the students if teachers aren't there.

We went to Seabrook Fire Chief Jeff Brown for answers. Chief Brown says if teachers refuse, they will have police and firefighters available to go on the buses with the kids. "We made contingency plans for that and will deal with it when it happens," he claims. "It's anti-nuclear activism, plain and simple."

Governor Lynch is in Canada on a trade mission, and issued a statement saying, "We've asked the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management to review the concerns in the letter, to meet with representatives of the teachers and to report back to the Governor."