SCE&G will conduct two separate tests of siren warning systems Tuesday (Jan. 9) in two separate Midlands locations.

At noon, SCE&G will activate the siren warning system along the Lower Saluda River as part of the Lake Murray Dam emergency action plan. A full, three-minute sounding of the sirens is conducted on the second Tuesday of January each year. One-minute functional tests are conducted at noon on the second Tuesday of each month during the remainder of the year. In the unlikely event of a potential failure of the Lake Murray Dam and the backup dam, the sirens would alert the public to tune in to local radio or television stations for information. For more information about Lake Murray, visit www.sceg.com/lakes.

At approximately 1 p.m., SCE&G will sound the 109 sirens located within a 10-mile radius of V.C. Summer Nuclear Station in Fairfield County near Jenkinsville. All sirens surrounding the plant are usually sounded on the first Tuesday of each quarter for one minute as part of the plant’s regular testing program. Because of the New Year holiday, this test will be conducted on the second Tuesday.

Area residents are reminded that the one-minute sounding of sirens during this time period is only a test. In the unlikely event of an actual emergency at the plant, the sirens would sound for three minutes with no prior notice and would alert area residents to tune in to an Emergency Alert System radio or television station for further instructions.

SCE&G and other companies that operate U.S. nuclear facilities maintain robust emergency preparedness plans to protect the health and safety of the public. SCE&G conducts multiple emergency response drills each year to validate its emergency response plan, which is independently evaluated every two years by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Information on siren tests, nuclear generation and emergency planning is mailed to residents within 10 miles of V.C. Summer Nuclear Station in the annual emergency preparedness calendar.

For more information, log on to www.sceg.com/nuclearpreparedness, or call your local emergency management office:
 Fairfield County 803-635- 4444
 Lexington County 803-785- 8342
 Newberry County 803-321- 2135
 Richland County 803-576- 3400
 S.C. Emergency Management Division 803-737- 8500