Valley nuclear energy station testing sirens, cellphone alerts Wednesday
Nov 13, 2019, 4:05 AM
(Maricopa County Photo)
PHOENIX – West Valley residents, workers and visitors shouldn’t be alarmed if they hear sirens or get emergency alerts on their cellphones around lunchtime Wednesday.
It’s only a test.
Maricopa County Emergency Management will test the Wireless Emergency Alert system within a 10-mile radius of the Palo Verde Generating Station at noon and 12:30 p.m.
The sirens at the nuclear energy facility located 55 miles west of downtown Phoenix will go off at the same times.
The phone alerts should include a message saying “This is a test of Maricopa County Wireless Emergency Alert system. No action is required.”
Some devices are programmed to reject duplicate alerts and therefore might transmit only the first notification.
In the unlikely event an actual emergency notification is sent around the same time the tests are scheduled, the message should direct people to turn on their radios or TVs for information about how to respond.
Authorities are asking anybody who lives or works within 15 miles of the power station, including in Tonopah, Wintersburg and west Buckeye, to fill out an online survey to provide feedback about the testing.