For the second time in a month, officials at the Harris Nuclear Plant north of Lee County will test their warning sirens.
The plant’s outdoor warning sirens will be tested between 10 and 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 12. The northern portion of Lee County is located within the plant’s emergency planning zone. Residents in this area may hear sirens in the event of a test drill or an emergency at the plant.
These audible tests are conducted to ensure each siren works properly. Each siren may be tested multiple times. Residents may not hear the sirens unless they are close to one when it is being tested.
The sirens, which are within 10 miles of the Harris Nuclear Plant, will sound at full-volume for five to 30 seconds. Testing is performed in cooperation with emergency officials in Chatham, Harnett, Lee and Wake counties, who are responsible for sounding the sirens.
This information is reflected in the 2021 Harris Nuclear Emergency Preparedness booklets sent to residents living within the 10-mile Harris Nuclear Plant emergency planning zone.
Because this is a test, local broadcasting stations will not interrupt regular programming to broadcast Emergency Alert System (EAS) messages. If there were ever a real emergency at the plant requiring the sirens to be sounded, local radio and television stations would broadcast information and instructions to the public.
The sirens were also tested in mid-December.