DELAWARE CITY, Del. — The Delaware Emergency Management Agency, Delaware State Police and Public Service Enterprise Group Inc. will conduct a quarterly test of the Salem/Hope Creek Nuclear Generating Stations Alert and Notification System on Tuesday, Oct. 6, at 10:45 a.m.
Thirty-seven sirens within Delaware's 10-mile Emergency Planning Zone will sound for three to five minutes. An Emergency Alert System test message will follow on local radio stations.
The quarterly test is designed to ensure the sirens are working properly and can alert the public during an emergency at the Salem/Hope Creek Nuclear Generating Stations.
The sirens cover an area extending north from Delaware City, west to Middletown and south to Woodland Beach. They are designed primarily to alert people who are outdoors.
During an actual emergency, a steady siren tone lasting three to five minutes would alert people who live in the area to an event at the nuclear stations. Information and instructions would then be broadcast through an Emergency Alert System station.
DEMA and the Delaware Division of Public Health will also distribute potassium iodide tablets to people who live within the 10-mile Emergency Planning Zone on Thursday, Oct. 15, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Delaware City Fire Hall, 815 5th St.
Potassium iodide, also known as KI, will be available to people replacing expired tablets or receiving them for the first time. Eligible people must bring a photo ID and proof that they live or work within the Emergency Planning Zone. Expired tablets may be exchanged for new ones.
KI can help protect the thyroid from radioactive iodine during a radiological emergency. Delaware receives the tablets through a U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission program.
People outside the 10-mile Emergency Planning Zone may obtain KI through a pharmacist or participating pharmacy.
