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Sept. 11: The day terrorism hit home
By ALEX LEARY, Times Staff Writer CRYSTAL RIVER -- From shrimpers in Homosassa unable to move their catch to glove-wearing mail sorters at the county courthouse, Sept. 11 left an indelible mark on Citrus County in 2001. But nowhere was the harsh reality more clear than Florida Power's nuclear power plant off U.S. 19. If you could get close to the plant, you would see guards with automatic weapons checking security badges at the gate. You would see concrete barricades that prevent bomb-strapped vans from getting inside. Forget about getting a boat near: The Coast Guard established no-trespass zones in the gulf. "After Sept. 11, terrorism came home," Florida Power spokesman Mac Harris said. The threats were an unwelcome conclusion to an already busy year for the utility, which began a series of job cuts under new ownership and completed a refueling operation in record time. "It's almost like you're on a treadmill and someone keeps speeding it up," Harris said of the flurry of news. While most of America froze in the minutes after jetliners slammed into the World Trade Center, Florida Power executives were scrambling to reach the FBI and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The plant went on high alert and access was restricted to those with essential business. Speculation abounded. Crystal River Police Chief Jim Farley called Florida Power, concerned like everyone else. "You have to think about that, a plane hitting it or someone trying to detonate some type of device," Farley said in an interview at the time. Harris and his counterparts at the nation's other nuclear reactors went on the defensive, saying public fear, while understandable, was overstated. They said nuclear reactors are "hardened" and "robust" structures, among the "strongest in world." Industry critics challenged those assertions and pointed out that the reactor containment buildings were not designed to withstand the impact of a jumbo jet. Some said the real danger was the spent fuel pool, which stores two decades of nuclear waste. The pool is located in a building that is far less protected than the reactor. The news continued to unfold well past September. On Oct. 23, a small plane was brought to the ground by two F-16s after flying too close to the nuclear plant. Two men and a lot of marijuana were found on board, not terrorists. A week after that incident, the government banned all aviation within 11.5 miles of nuclear power plants. Crystal River Airport, still reeling from an earlier shutdown, was closed for a week. The owners sought financial help from the county. On Nov. 1, Florida Power rejected an offer by Gov. Jeb Bush to deploy the National Guard for added protection. Officials said existing security was adequate but that did little to moderate fear among some Citrus County residents. Jobs disappearWith all the focus on terrorism, it was easy to forget the other notable Florida Power events of 2001. The company kicked off the new year by cutting dozens of jobs after its parent company, Florida Progress Corp., was acquired by Carolina Power & Light for $5.3-billion. At the time, CP&L said it intended to cut $100-million in costs. In January, company brass munched on shrimp cocktail and sipped coffee at Andre's restaurant in Citrus Hills and assured county leaders that the layoffs were necessary but would not be "horrendous." "All of us realize the roots go very deep," Florida Power president Bill Habermeyer told the crowd. "We're going to stay in the county." Before the month ended, 62 jobs were eliminated, sending a wave of fear through the county economy, which had already shown signs of stress with the closing of two Scotty's hardware stores and Metal Industries' Crystal River plant. The downsizing continued in February with another 50 jobs. More cuts are expected this spring. "It's always difficult," Harris said. "It's never good whether it's one person or 50 people." Good news amid badSafety hazards at the coal plant drew the attention of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Florida Power was fined $3,000 for unsafe platforms. The utility, however, successfully defended other charges, avoiding more than $9,000 in additional penalties. Indeed, not all the news was bad. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission completed an annual review in late spring and said Florida Power had done a solid job protecting public health and safety. A few weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks, Florida Power brought in 900 temporary workers to help with a monthlong refueling of the nuclear plant. Aside from providing a much needed shot to the local economy, the employees completed the refueling in record time. "Bringing the unit back to service in 26 days while performing this scope of outage work is a tribute to the planning and hard work of everyone involved," said C.S. "Scotty" Hinnant, chief nuclear officer for Progress Energy. In December, the NRC said it planned to distribute potassium iodide pills within a 10-mile radius of nuclear power plants. The pills help protect against thyroid cancer in the event of a radiological emergency. The news was met with mixed reactions: Some people said it provided comfort; others were alarmed that the government even had to take such action.
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