Nuclear Emergency Test Runs Smoothly
Annual testing of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station’s 52 community alert-sirens Wednesday went without incident, as expected, officials said.
Officials reported 69 telephone calls to city halls, police and emergency dispatchers from residents in the San Clemente area who heard the sirens.
While a few calls were from residents who hadn’t been informed of the test, most were from those who thought it was their duty to report the sirens to local authorities, said Southern California Edison spokesman Ray Golden.
“We think that the small number [of telephone calls] certainly shows the support we got from the media to get the word out that people weren’t caught by surprise,” Golden said.
Edison also distributed fliers and educational materials announcing the test to prevent area residents from being caught off-guard.
The community-alert sirens are required by federal regulations in the event of a nuclear emergency at SONGS, which is operated by Southern California Edison. The sirens are intended to advise residents to turn on radios or televisions and await emergency instructions.
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