Latest news with #emergencyalerts
CBS News
2 days ago
- Climate
- CBS News
Emergency siren tests happening at two Pennsylvania power stations this week
Pennsylvania officials are warning Chester County residents not to panic if they hear alarms coming from two major power stations this week. The Limerick Generating Station in Pottstown and the Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station in Delta will both conduct tests of their emergency alert siren systems this upcoming week. According to their website, Limerick Clean Energy Center's two nuclear reactors can produce enough electricity to power the equivalent of more than 1.7 million homes. Limerick sits on a 600-acre site and draws its cooling water from the Schuylkill River. The Peach Bottom facility also has two nuclear reactors that can generate 2,770 megawatts and can produce enough energy to power the equivalent of nearly 2 million homes. You can expect to hear the emergency siren coming from the Limerick Generating Station at 2 p.m. on Monday, June 2. Then, on Wednesday, June 4 the Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station will conduct their emergency alert siren testing at 1 p.m. Both test alerts should last for about three minutes, officials say.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Henry County changing alert system after warnings didn't go out in time for tornado touchdown
Henry County is changing its severe weather alert system. Neighbors started questioning the process after a tornado touched down in the Laurel Creek subdivision on Thursday afternoon. They said they did not hear outdoor sirens and did not get the warning on their phones through the county's notification service until the storm already touched down and left two people hurt. 'It's really unfortunate. It's really sad,' said Dyamond Lindsay. County leaders heard neighbors' concerns and addressed them on Friday. Now, when the National Weather Service sends out an alert for a specific neighborhood, Henry County Emergency Management will send that to everyone in the county signed up to receive notifications. Before, the county sent it to specific areas facing the current threat. The change will not affect when the county receives the National Weather Service alert. That part must come first. RELATED STORIES: Tornado touches down in Henry County, 18-year-old critically injured 'The Wire' actor says his son was 'thrown 300 feet' from their home in Henry County tornado Neighbors describe searching for an injured 18-year-old, watching a tornado touch down in Henry County 'When it hit, it hit, and we got a warning,' Henry County Fire Rescue Chief Pat Wilson said. Wilson assessed the damage with the National Weather Service on Friday. They confirmed the tornado impacted 13 homes, with 11 of them having moderate damage. Two of them are uninhabitable. 'There's no doubt yesterday's tornado was eye-opening,' Wilson said. He shared reminders he noted while looking at the worst damage in the field. 'One room that seemed to have stood, or withstood, the storm was the interior closet,' Wilson said. 'Know where you're got to go, get to that safe place, make sure you have your helmets, pillow, blankets, things like that. Even keep that in your closet.' He said that way, you will not have to gather it in the middle of a storm. Wilson said county leaders had a meeting on Friday to discuss what disaster response protocols worked and what needed improvement. He said they will do more of that next week. The meetings involve agencies like fire, police, emergency management, and the Department of Transportation.
CBS News
19-05-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
Colorado rural areas rely on variety of emergency alerts to notify residents of severe weather
Some homes in eastern Colorado were badly damaged after multiple tornadoes touched down in parts of Adams County and Elbert County on Sunday. Emergency management teams say no injuries were reported and that emergency alerts were received by hundreds of residents. Both rural areas rely largely on emergency notifications like calls, texts, and emails, also known as CodeRed alerts, to warn residents of severe weather. Those notifications come from the National Weather Service and go directly to cellphones and landline numbers registered that are in the area where the warning is issued. File photo of a phone shown in a rural area Aaron McCoy / Getty Images Roughly 300 CodeRed alerts went out in Adams County and, according to the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office, those within an eight-mile radius of the tornado's center were warned in their area. In Bennett, a recent report to town trustees on their emergency response plan says only about half of the people who live there are signed up for their alerts. Town manager Trisha Stiles says she would like to see every resident get those alerts. "It could really mean the difference of not knowing or knowing and you could be in town or somewhere else and it will still alert you to what's going on in case you have loved ones or need to get home quickly," Stiles said. Bennett's fire department was also able to activate their emergency sirens, which they say they only do when a tornado is visible. It's a tool several agencies are moving away from. The City of Brighton decommissioned their sirens last August and, despite growth on the eastern edge of Aurora, that Colorado city said in 2024 they hadn't added sirens in more than a decade. Elbert County says they also did away with theirs years ago. The director of emergency management there, Jim White, says those sirens typically reach only about a quarter of a mile and for people who are outside. YourReporter in Aurora Kelly Werthmann spoke with Aurora's emergency manager in 2024, who shared a similar message. "I would say the siren system is a secondary tool outside of our primary notification system," Matt Chapman, emergency manager for Aurora, said at the time. "It's not as efficient as some of the tools we have now." Everyone can also receive weather alerts form the nationwide emergency alert system through radio and television broadcasts as well. To find out if you're area has CodeRED Alerts or another form of notification you can visit your county website, below are links to Adams and Elbert County forms.
CBS News
12-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
Los Angeles wildfire emergency alert errors addressed in Congressional report
After Los Angeles County put out faulty emergency alerts during January's massive wildfires, members of Congress are asking for more oversight and funding for the emergency alert system. U.S. Congressman Robert Garcia released a May 12 report, "Lessons from the Kenneth Fire False Alerts." The report was initiated by 13 members of Congress representing LA County, who wanted answers about the erroneous evacuation warnings. On Jan. 9, a wireless emergency evacuation alert was sent to millions of residents across Los Angeles County and outside of the county. However, it was meant for people in the order and warning zones of the Kenneth Fire in Woodland Hills. Many residents outside of the Kenneth Fire zone continued to receive the incorrect evacuation warning throughout the night and the following day. "An evacuation order for residents near the Kenneth Fire currently burning in West Hills was mistakenly issued to nearly 10 million County residents along with some residents of neighboring counties," Kevin McGowan, Director of the Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management said earlier. "This warning was intended only for residents of Calabasas and Agoura Hills and those within the West Hills community of Los Angeles." For the Kenneth Fire warning, the mistake came about due to a failure within Genasys Inc.'s alerting software, which is used throughout Los Angeles County. The report noted that Genasys has since added safeguards to correct the issue. The report's recommendations included improved federal funding for the planning, equipment, training, exercises, operations, and maintenance of Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) Systems. Another significant finding within the report was that Los Angeles County should improve the wording of alert messages, ensuring they provide specifics about evacuation warning areas and timestamps. "Los Angeles County may have avoided damage to people outside the impacted Kenneth Fire area had their message included more information on the location or the timing of the danger," according to the report. "This additional information is also important for people who have older phones, where geotargeting is not precise on those devices. A more precise description of the affected area could have been accomplished with language such as, `An EVACUATION WARNING has been issued for Calabasas/Agoura Hills,' instead of `An EVACUATION WARNING has been issued for your area."' The report concluded: "Congress and federal agencies must act now to close identified gaps in alerting system performance, certification, and public communication. The lessons from the Kenneth Fire should not only inform reforms, but serve as a catalyst to modernize the nation's alerting infrastructure before the next disaster strikes." The Eaton Fire evacuation order delays were not part of this report. An independent after-action review by an independent group, as ordered by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is underway.
CBC
07-05-2025
- Climate
- CBC
National emergency alert system to be tested on Wednesday in much of Canada
Canada's National Public Alerting System (NPAS) is running tests on television, radio and compatible wireless devices across most of the country on Wednesday. The tests will happen in eight provinces and both territories. Alberta and Quebec do not have tests scheduled for this month. The system, called Alert Ready, delivers alerts about critical events such as tornadoes, flooding and fires, as well as Amber alerts. The sound will simulate the tone of an emergency alert, but no action is required for members of the public. It is possible for a phone not to register the alert — due to device compatibility, lack of a connection to an LTE or 5G network, cell tower coverage or device software and settings. A list of compatible wireless devices can be found here. The NPAS is a collaborative initiative between federal, provincial and territorial governments, although the decision on participating is up to each province. The tests in May occur during Emergency Preparedness Week, with Public Safety Canada providing an emergency preparedness guide on their website for Canadians. Here are the local testing times for May 7: British Columbia: 1:55 p.m. PT. Manitoba: 1:55 p.m. CT. New Brunswick: 10:55 a.m. AT. Newfoundland and Labrador: 10:45 a.m. NT. Northwest Territories: 9:55 a.m. MT. Nova Scotia: 1:55 p.m. AT. Nunavut: 2:00 p.m. ET. Ontario: 12:55 p.m. ET. Prince Edward Island: 12:55 p.m. AT. Saskatchewan: 1:55 p.m. CT. Yukon: 1:55 p.m. YT.
