Point Beach, WI Nuclear Power Facility From the NRC:

ALL ALERT AND NOTIFICATION SYSTEM SIRENS INOPERABLE AFTER INSTALLING A SIREN STATUS FEEDBACK SYSTEM.

Loss of all 14 offsite Alert and Notification System after installation of a siren status feedback system. A common failure has resulted in the inability to activate any sirens. The vendor and plant staff are actively troubleshooting. The licensee will notify state and local officials of this event. The NRC Resident Inspector was notified of this event by the licensee.

UPDATE: ON 02/03/00 AT 1923 HOURS BY HARRSCH TAKEN BY MACKINNON * * All Alert and Notification System sirens were returned to service at 1745 CT. A software problem caused the loss of the Alert and Notification system. State and Local officials were notified by the licensee of this update. R3DO (Tony Vegel) notified. The NRC Resident Inspector was notified of this update by the licensee.

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/DAILY/der.htm

-- Carl Jenkins (Somewherepress@aol.com), February 06, 2000

Answers

Third alarm system to go buggy since the rollover. The first was the Umatillla Weapons Storage Depot here in Oregon: the alarm system tok on a life of its own and started broadcasting contradictory messages in Spanish and English, leaving residents of the nearby affected community of Hermiston totally confused. The situatioh was not without risk since traces of sarin leaking from stroed cannisters had been detectged in the preceding few days.

Second event was last week, with the alarm system activating downstream from an earthen dam ..... where? and spooking the residents half to death.

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-- Squirrel Hunter (nuts@upina.cellrelaytower), February 06, 2000.