Early Warning Systems Test for Surry Power Station to Occur Tomorrow
By: City of Newport News
The Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM), in coordination with local officials and Dominion Energy, will conduct a test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and the early warning siren system on Wednesday, March 9 at 11:10 a.m. for the Surry Power Station. During the test, a steady three-minute tone will be sounded by sirens in Williamsburg, Newport News, and the counties of Surry, James City, York, and Isle of Wight. The 71 sirens are located within a 10-mile radius of the power station. The EAS test is scheduled to last approximately one minute. Wireless Emergency Alerts and the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System will not be used in this test, so you should not expect to get messages on your devices. Siren and EAS tests take place at the Surry Power Station on a quarterly basis. If there were an actual emergency at the power station, residents would hear four separate three-minute activations of the early warning siren system, each separated by a one-minute silent interval. The total elapsed time for actual emergency notification is 15 minutes. During an emergency when sirens sound, residents should listen to local and state officials and local media outlets that broadcast emergency information for updates and instructions. Emergency guides are mailed to surrounding households and additional information about the siren system, emergency notifications, and safety planning can be found on Dominion Energy’s website. |