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i <br />77 <br />A large volume of hazardous materials is transported to and <br />through the county by railroad and highway, air, water, and <br />pipeline daily. Within Indian River County, there are a <br />number of both public and private fixed facilities which <br />produce or use hazardous materials. Coordinating <br />procedures for hazardous material response are found within <br />the county's Emergency Plan for Hazardous Materials. <br />In addition to the county's Emergency Plan for Hazardous <br />Materials, Local Emergency Planning Committee officials <br />have prepared a plan for use in responding to and <br />recovering from a release of hazardous or toxic materials. <br />This plan addresses the range of potential emergency <br />situations and the appropriate measures to be implemented <br />to minimize exposure through inhalation, ingestion, or direct <br />exposure (Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council). <br />Mishandling and improper disposal or storage of medical <br />wastes and low-level radioactive projects from medical use <br />are also a hazard to Indian River County. For example, a <br />few years ago an incident occurred in New Jersey when <br />improper disposal of medical wastes resulted in some of the <br />used projects ending up on Atlantic Ocean beaches. <br />d. Transportation System Accidents. <br />Florida has a large transportation network consisting of <br />major highways, airports, marine ports, and passenger <br />railroads. The heavily populated areas of Indian River <br />County are particularly vulnerable to serious accidents <br />which are capable of producing mass casualties. With the <br />linear configuration of several major highways in Indian <br />River County, such as interstate highways and the Florida <br />Turnpike, major transportation accidents could occur in a <br />ralatively rural area, severely stressing the capabilities of <br />local resources to respond effectively. A recent notorious <br />example is the crash in the Everglades of Value Jet Flight <br />597 on May 11, 1996, which resulted in 109 fatalities and <br />a cost of millions of dollars, severely taxing the financial and <br />public safety resources of Dade County (Florida Department <br />of Community Affairs, 1998). Similarly, a major <br />transportation accident could involve a large number of <br />Indian River County Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan Basic Page 31