Nebraska Public Power District’s (NPPD) Cooper Nuclear Station will soon be implementing the use of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) national alert warning system which could be used to share emergency notifications to mobile devices and over radio and TV broadcasts.
FEMA’s system is called the Integrated Public Alert & Warning System. Better known as IPAWS, it works by sending local emergency messages to the public through mobile phones using Wireless Emergency Alerts, to radio and television via the Emergency Alert System, and also on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Weather Radio. In the case an emergency notification would need to be shared from NPPD about Cooper, IPAWS would send a notification to phones, radios, and TVs in a roughly 10-mile radius around the plant. This system is widely used by nuclear operators across the country as well as other agencies for emergency messages such as tornado warnings or amber alerts.
NPPD currently has sirens installed within a 10-mile radius of the plant that would sound in the case of an emergency. IPAWS will allow for NPPD to transition away from the use of sirens. As a part of the process to implement this system, NPPD will be testing IPAWS throughout the 10-mile radius surrounding the plant to ensure it operates properly. This system is able to notify anyone within the 10-mile radius and does not require anyone to sign up through a specific app or service.
“When sirens go off, it may not be clear whether it is a test or what the emergency may be. In some cases, it may be hard for people to hear the sirens inside their homes. Using the FEMA public alert warning system will allow for messages about emergencies to be shared in a quick, clear, and concise manner,” says NPPD Emergency Preparedness Manager Matt Nee.
Additional information will be shared with the public, including when the system will go live. This transition could be as early as January 1, 2025. There is a test of the sirens scheduled for September 17 in Nemaha and Richardson Counties, and on September 18 in Atchison County. A test of the IPAWS system will also be conducted on these two days, and its possible individuals in the area will receive a test notification on their phones during this test.
Additional information will be shared about this new system closer to the date it goes live. Emergency management information for Cooper can be found on NPPD.com/ep.
