Anthrax scare a good drill for Navajo County

Posted by Cindy Yurth | Feb 3, 2015 | News |

CHINLE

Louis Aragon from Winslow, Ariz, walks out of the Navajo County Government Center building on Tuesday morning in Holbrook, Ariz. A Navajo County Superior Court clerk found a white powdery substance on her hands and didn’t know what it was, so the Arizona Department of Public Safety Hazmat Team from Phoenix was called to investigate what the substance was. The powder was later determined to be drywall. (Times photo – Donovan Quintero)

The white powder a Navajo County Superior Court employee found on her hands after opening mail Monday turned out to be drywall dust, but the experience of responding to the incident was a good exercise that will help the county in the future, its emergency personnel agreed.

“The biggest thing we learned is that the folks who can help us make a decision are three hours away,” said Assistant County Manager Homero Vela, referring to the hazardous materials team of the Arizona Department of Public Safety, headquartered in Phoenix.

Still, the county’s response to the scare was smooth and appropriate, noted Emergency Management Director Mary Springer.

Springer said the court employee reported the suspicious material — which she had feared could have been anthrax or another poison sprinkled on a letter from an irate court client — about 11 a.m.

After county and city law enforcement were summoned, the building was sealed and the HAZMAT team was sent up from Phoenix, Springer said.

“All the employees were accounted for and put through a hand-washing exercise,” Springer said, while samples of the substance collected from the court employee’s hands were field-tested. (A later lab test confirmed the field-testing results that the material was probably drywall dust.)

After asking the court employee to reenact the incident, the team concluded that the substance probably did not come from inside an envelope, Springer said, but rather from the walls of the office.

After each employee was checked for the substance, he or she was allowed to leave at about 5:30, Vela said.

The scene was cleared at 8:30 p.m. and the county was open for business Tuesday morning.

Emergency coordinator Catrina Roe with Navajo County, walks into the building after going through the metal detector on Tuesday morning in Holbrook, Ariz. A Navajo County Superior Court clerk found a white powdery substance on her hands and didn’t know what it was, so the Arizona Department of Public Safety HAZMAT team from Phoenix was called to investigate what the substance was. The powder was later determined to be drywall. The office is back open for business. (Times photo – Donovan Quintero)

Springer and Vela agreed the exercise was a good test of the county’s response to an emergent situation, and in general they were happy with it.

“We couldn’t have devised a better exercise,” Springer said.

Springer and Vela agreed the main thing that dragged out the response time was waiting for the HAZMAT team.

“Over the years, there’s been talk of creating a (local) HAZMAT team,” Springer said, “but, as you know, it takes manpower, commitment and money.”

Springer and Vela added they were pleased with the response and collaboration between the sheriff’s deputies, local police and FBI agents who responded to the scene, as well as the reaction of the county employees.

“Our employees were stellar yesterday,” declared Springer. “People were not panicked. They remained calm and followed directions.”

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