Catawba County News

Duke Energy to Test Sirens April 10

Published: April 03, 2024

The outdoor warning sirens around Catawba and McGuire nuclear stations will be tested between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Wednesday, April 10. No public action is required.

The 89 sirens within 10 miles of Catawba Nuclear Station and the 67 sirens within 10 miles of McGuire Nuclear Station will sound for five to 30 seconds. To ensure they are functioning properly, it may be necessary to test some sirens more than once. Testing is performed by Duke Energy in cooperation with emergency officials in York, Gaston and Mecklenburg, Iredell, Lincoln and Catawba counties, who are responsible for sounding the sirens.

Because this is a test, local broadcasting stations will not interrupt regular programming to broadcast Emergency Alert System (EAS) messages. If there was ever a real emergency at the plant requiring the sirens to be sounded, local radio and television stations would broadcast information and instructions to the public. 

For more information about nuclear emergency preparedness and outdoor warning sirens, residents can visit duke-energy.com/NuclearEP.