State officials led by the Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM), in coordination with the local officials and Dominion Energy, will conduct a quarterly test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and the early warning siren system on Wed., Sept. 11 at 11:10 a.m. for the Surry Power Station. Tests are previously scheduled on a quarterly basis.
The Emergency Alert System test is made available through participating radio and television broadcasters, cable systems, satellite radio and television providers, and wireline video providers, and is scheduled to last approximately one minute.
For the early warning siren system, a steady three-minute tone will be sounded by 71 sirens in Williamsburg, Newport News and the counties of Surry, James City, York and Isle of Wight. The sirens are located within a 10-mile radius of the power station.
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. 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.
Residents around the Surry Power Station should be aware that the previously scheduled early warning tests will occur on the anniversary of September 11th but they are only a test. Siren and EAS tests take place near the Surry Power Station on a quarterly basis on the second Wednesday of March, June, September and December of 2019.
Colonial Beach News 