RICHMOND — The Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) announced it will conduct a test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and early warning siren system Wednesday, Dec. 14 for the Surry Power Station.
The test, conducted in coordination with the local officials and Dominion Energy, will take place at 11:10 a.m.
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 to test the early warning siren system, VDEM said. The sirens are located within a 10-mile radius of the power station.
The EAS 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, VDEM added.
The siren and EAS tests take place at the Surry Power Station on a quarterly basis.
If there were an actual emergency, VDEM said residents would hear four separate three-minute activations of the early warning siren system, each separated by a one-minute silent interval over the course of 15 minutes.
During an actual emergency, VDEM said residents should listen to local and state officials and local media outlets that broadcast emergency information for updates and instructions, adding emergency guides are mailed to surrounding households and additional information about the siren system, emergency notifications, and safety planning can be found on the Dominion Energy website.
A planned transition from sirens to a wireless emergency alert system is on hold until approved by FEMA, VDEM said.
