Nuke response planner to lead emergency agency

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The man in charge of South Carolina’s nuclear response plans has been tapped to lead the state’s Emergency Management Division. State Adjutant General Bob Livingston on Thursday said George H. McKinney II would take over the director’s post effective July 18. McKinney has been overseeing Emergency Management’s response plans, training and exercises for responding to nuclear incidents. He has been with the department since September and is also tasked with serving as the point of contact with the U.S. Department of Energy, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. McKinney previously served as Greenwood County’s public safety division director and has been an intelligence manager for the South Carolina Army National Guard. (Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)