Media Contact: Gil Alexander, (626) 302-2255
SAN CLEMENTE, Calif., Oct. 15, 2010 — The annual test of the Community Alert Siren System will be conducted Wednesday morning, Oct. 20 by Southern California Edison (SCE), and the cities of Dana Point, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano as well as Orange County, the California Department of Parks and Recreation and Marine Corps Base, Camp Pendleton.
Between 10 a.m. and noon, 52 sirens located in the communities around the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station will be activated several times for approximately three minutes each time. The sirens sound a continuous steady tone distinguishing them from those used by fire and police departments.
“Protecting the health and safety of workers and the public is our highest responsibility,” said Southern California Edison Chief Nuclear Officer Joe Sheppard. “In a real emergency the siren system would alert residents to turn on their radio or TV for emergency response information from their community leaders. Other sources of emergency information include city websites and our community website, www.SONGScommunity.com.”
In the unlikely event of a nuclear emergency requiring public action, this community alert system would be used by local government officials to notify the public to turn on radio and TV stations for public safety announcements. The sirens also could be used by local government officials to inform residents of a non-nuclear emergency.
Flyers and other educational materials explaining the test have been distributed to residents, businesses, and schools in the area. Before and during the siren test, broadcasts on Orange County’s primary Emergency Alert System radio station, KWVE 107.9, will inform the public of the test.
Additional emergency response information can be found on SCE’s website, www.sce.com, and in the ATT Telephone Directory Customer Guide White Pages of South Orange County and North San Diego County, Coastal.
SCE Nuclear Power Facts
- The San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station is Southern California’s largest single source of reliable, emission-free electricity that is available 24/7 regardless of weather conditions.
- The San Onofre facility generates approximately 2,200 megawatts of electricity, enough power to serve 1.4 million average homes at a point in time.
- The plant is jointly owned by SCE (78.21 percent), San Diego Gas & Electric (20 percent) and the city of Riverside (1.79 percent).
About Southern California Edison
An Edison International (NYSE:EIX) company, Southern California Edison is one of the nation’s largest electric utilities, serving a population of nearly 14 million via 4.9 million customer accounts in a 50,000-square-mile service area within Central, Coastal and Southern California.
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San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station and Community Emergency Planning Partners to Test Siren System
