The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "evacuation plan" ...
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IJEC: Mental health on campus
After the mass shootings at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois, legislatures and university officials nationwide said they were taking extra measures to upgrade mental health treatment for students and to improve security on campuses The Investigative Journalism Education Consortium – a group of faculty and students at Midwest universities - decided to examine what actually had been done. What they found is that the number of college students seeking mental health care from their universities is soaring as is the severity of the mental health problems students have when they arrive on campus. The consortium also found most campuses do not have the number of counselors and resources needed. In addition, we found some universities have moved slowly or not at all to improve security and to develop effective building evacuation plans.
Tags: Mental health; health care; counselors; Midwest universities
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State Fair Tragedy: The Investigation
This series investigates the collapse of a temporary outdoor stage at the Indiana State Fair that killed seven people and injured more than 40 others. The stage collapsed because of severe weather, with wind gusts of up to 70-miles an hour, WTHR wanted to know why people weren't evacuated before it was too late.
Tags: severe weather; evacuation plan; broadcast
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Relicensing Oyster Creek
"An investigation into the weakness of the Oyster Creek nuclear generating station, the oldest commercial nuclear plant in the nation, as it seeks to run for another 20 years. The series found that the reactor's radiation containment system was so weak that it could not with stand core damage, and that this design flaw is common in the nuclear industry. The plant is also showing signs of poor aging, such as weakened reactor metal, failing control cables, and lack of proper training for employees. Employee errors have caused several safety issues at the plant which was rated one of the worst in the nation. "State officials also have failed to adequately design evacuation plans for the seaside tourist areas."
Tags: nuclear; reactor; radiation; evacuation; safety
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Hurricane Coverage
Substandard and poorly enforced building codes led to houses that were unsafe during hurricanes in Mobile, Alabama. Gaps were also found in the county's evacuation plan and in the sturdiness of oil rigs constructed in the Gulf of Mexico.
Tags: hurricane; oil rigs; gas rigs; building codes; Hurricane Katrina
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Alluvial Amnesia: How Officials Imperil Communities by Downplaying Flood Risks
Floodplain development, flood prediction and inter-agency coordination are the main themes of this investigation. "We uncovered documents proving that in their haste to approve plans for two public schools in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., state education officials ignored state emergency managers from another agency who cautioned that no adequate evacuation plans existed and that constriction should be halted. We also exposed flawed reasoning the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers used to argue that flood risks in the area were minimal. Reputable flood experts say as many as 20,000 homes have been constructed on flood-prone lands located near high mountain canyons.
Tags: flood; natural disaster; construction
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102 Minutes: Critical Moments, Critical Decisions
The 9/11/01 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center were a cataclysmic disaster. Despite the brutality of the strike, the death toll stayed around 3,000 instead of the 6,000 plus many officials estimated that day. How did so many people survive? Did the survivors all do the same thing? Cauchon analyzed these questions and more using data on survivors and the deceased, complete floor plans of both towers, and about 300 interviews. The results were intriguing. Everyone working above the 92nd floor in Tower 1 died. "In Tower 2, about 15 people survived using the only staircase that remained passable." Those were the only survivors about the crash in Tower 2.
Tags: 9/11; terrorism; evacuation; disasters; World Trade Center; building structures; elevators; safety; public safety; office buildings
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City at risk: Traffic jam from hell
Creative Loafing probes the feasibility of Mecklenburg County's evacuation plan. The story finds that if a terrorist attack or a nuclear accident at one of the county's two nuclear plants occurred, the evacuation plan would not prevent a "large-scale loss of life." There are potentially deadly flaws not only in Mecklenburg county's evacuation plan, Servatius writes, but "ultimately in federally approved evacuation plans across the country."
Tags: public safety; disasters; emergency; terrorism; Sept. 11
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Eruption: Rainier Wins Disaster Drill; Lahar: Thousands Live in Harm's Way
The results of a drill conducted at FEMA's base at Mount Weather revealed flaws in the evacuation plan for communities near Mount Rainier (Orting, Fife, Puyallup). The volcano eruption could trigger a mudflow (lahar) that could obliterate the river valley communities. Another local problem is the constant grow of population in the area (average of 38% over the last years) that can pose serious problems of evacuation in case of a natural disaster. As a result of the drill new evacuation plans and procedures are developed to ensure a maximum rate of survival for the inhabitants.
Tags: Mount Rainier; lahar; volcano; FEMA; US Geological Survey; Mount Weather; mudflow; evacuation; CAR; database mapping project
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Nuclear Neighbors
A News 12 Westchester investigation "looks at the Indian Point Nuclear Power plants in Buchanan, New York" and "their uneasy relationship with nearby residents." The series reveals the potential dangers to "regular folks who live in the shadow of the nuclear plant" in this heavily populated area. The report also focuses on the shortcomings of the evacuation plan put together by Westchester County to be applied in case a serious nuclear accident were to occur. The story initially investigates "the first ever "emergency alert" at Con Edison's Indian Point two in February of 2000," when "a steam pipe bursts, spilling thousands of gallons of radioactive water and steam." The series generates discussion "whether the county should stockpile a drug called potassium iodide to be used in case of a major nuclear accident."
Tags: TAPE; TRANSCRIPT; safety; radiation; emergencies; NRC; health; cancer; Price-Anderson Act; American Thyroid Association
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Chemical Weapons Threat
Stored in bunkers in vast tracts of land in Oregon are the United States' stockpile of chemical weapons. The story shows that the rusting rockets still contain enough nerve gas to kill 90 percent of the American population. A debate is raging there about how to dispose of the weapons. The question is whether it is more dangerous to let the weapons remain and risk a leak, or to burn them and risk releasing poisonous gas. The second part of the story uncovered the fact that the authorities have no plan if there should be an accident at the site. There are no procedures to evacuate the area, no gas masks, and basically no protection for the 20,000 people nearby.
Tags: TAPE