Indian Point Siren Test This Week

CORTLANDT, NY — The Indian Point Energy Center emergency notification sirens will sound during a regular quarterly test of the system between 10:30 and 11 a.m. Wednesday.

Sirens will sound at full-volume for approximately four minutes in a radius around the nuclear power plants, in Westchester, Rockland, Orange, and Putnam counties.

Because this is only a test, the public is not required to respond during the siren sounding. Remember, sirens are not a signal to evacuate. In an actual emergency, the sirens would sound to alert the public to tune in to a local EAS radio or television station for important information and direction. These stations are listed in the emergency planning booklet mailed to households and businesses in the 10-mile Emergency Planning Zone around Indian Point. An electronic version of the booklet is posted on the Indian Point web site.

Siren tests will stop soon after the plants are shut down.

"Indian Point’s emergency response plan will be scaled down significantly about one year after the last unit (Unit 3) shuts down," explained Entergy spokesman Jerry Nappi. "After used fuel from Unit 3’s reactor is placed in the spent fuel pool following shutdown in April 2021, it will take about one year for the fuel to cool to a level that negates the need for a large portion of our current emergency response program. This scaling back of the emergency response program includes the cessation of siren tests."