Cape Town - The City of Cape Town’s disaster risk management has released an advisory, cautioning the public of a planned volume siren test that electricity service provider Eskom is expected to conduct on Tuesday.
According to the City, Eskom will be conducting a full-volume siren test of the Koeberg Public Warning System at its Koeberg Nuclear Power Station on Tuesday, March 7, between 10am and 12 noon.
The full-volume siren test of the Koeberg Public Warning System will be conducted in the following areas:
Atlantis, Duynefontein, Melkbosstrand, Van Riebeeckstrand, Philadelphia, Bloubergstrand, Bloubergrant, West Beach, Sunningdale, Parklands, Robben Island, and farms surrounding Koeberg Nuclear Power Station.
In a brief statement, Eskom shared that residents living in the areas where the test would be conducted do not need to take any action as this will only be a routine test. However, the electricity service provider also stated that residents could keep their pets inside or in areas where the pet cannot escape as a precautionary measure.
“Due to the volume and sound of the wailing test tone dogs have been known to run away from home,” Eskom said.
Residents are also advised to switch off their televisions and radios to ensure that they do not miss the public address announcements regarding the planned test.
“Please do not panic as this is only a test. If necessary individual tests may be carried out on Wednesday, March 8, and Thursday, March 9, for maintenance purposes. Please note that the sirens form part of the Koeberg Emergency Plan and must be in working order,” Eskom said.
To report faulty and/or damaged sirens, the general public is urged to please contact Koeberg stakeholder management by sending an email to PienaaSZ@eskom.co.za or by calling: +27 21 550 4911.
Meanwhile, on Sunday afternoon, Eskom announced that it would be implementing load shedding Stage 4 until 5am on Tuesday. Thereafter, Eskom said that load shedding would be reduced to Stage 3 until 4pm.
Stage 4 will then be implemented from 4pm until 5am on Wednesday in sequence until further notice, the power utility said.