May 23, 2005 - FP&L St. Lucie Power Plant Joint Martin/St. Lucie County Drill to Feature the Outdoor Warning Sirens

The St. Lucie County Department of Public Safety and the Martin County Department of Emergency Services will sound the outdoor warning sirens for Florida Power & Light's St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant between 8:00 am and noon tomorrow, May 24 as part of the annual exercise being conducted by FP&L, the State of Florida Division of Emergency Management, St. Lucie and Martin County.

The siren sounding will involve a one-minute sounding of all 89 sirens within the 10-mile St. Lucie Emergency Planning Zone. Before and after the sirens sound, a message will be broadcast on the sirens' public address system stating, "This is only a test." At the end of the final test announcement, there will be a 10-second wail of the sirens.

In the unlikely event of an actual emergency at the St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant, the sirens would sound for a 5-minute period. This would be followed by official instructions and another 5-minute sounding of the siren system. Detailed instructions for the general population would begin being broadcast over local radio and television.

For further information, contact Tom Christopher, St. Lucie County Radiological Coordinator, at (772) 461-5201.