“Where do we go when told by Koeberg Power Station to evacuate?”
This is the question the community of Duynefontein, Melkbosstrand and surrounds are asking after Koeberg triggered their emergency evacuation alarm by accident last week.
Before realising the alarm was false, shocked residents say they went into panic mode and scrambled around in their houses trying to pack a few essentials. This is when they realised they had no idea where to go.
“I ran around like a headless chicken, trying to figure out what to pack and where to go to. I stopped dead in my tracks at the front door when I realised I don’t know where to go. Where do we evacuate to?” resident Barbara Hein asks.
Messages poured in via social media and Melkbosstrand Neighbourwood Watch (MNHW) responded, informing residents that the alarm was false.
“So, it turns out that it was a component failure inside only one of the sirens which caused it to broadcast one of its pre-recorded message,” the watch says in a statement.
“This siren, unfortunately, is the one closest to the local primary school which rightfully caused great concern at the school, prompting the school to make immediate arrangements for the children to be evacuated, along with all those surrounding residents who also listened to the broadcasted message,” the watch says.
TygerBurger received communication from a spokesperson at Eskom, saying that after the siren in Duynefontein went off accidentally announcing a Koeberg emergency, Eskom immediately informed the public through other local sirens and radio stations asking them to ignore the faulty siren.
“Following the false activation of the emergency sirens on Thursday 14 April, all sirens within the affected area have been inspected, tested and found to be operating normally, without any anomalies. Some enhancements have been made to the siren configuration in order to prevent a repeat of last week’s event,” the spokesperson says.
The MNHW says they had been informed that the siren has been isolated and that it should be repaired before the end of the (then) long weekend.
In addition to this, Koeberg says it is inspecting each and every one of the other sirens to make sure that a similar problem is not evident elsewhere.
“As we no doubt know, these sirens are very robust as they are exposed to the elements and are still required to function, even though they have been out there for many years. However, more importantly, as local residents, we should know what to do and be familiar with the emergency procedure which is contained in the Koeberg Calendar,” the watch says.
Eskom says the alarm system forms part of the Koeberg Emergency Plan and must always be in working order. Silent testing is done regularly and silently to ensure that the system is in full working order, and to address any issues that may arise during the tests.
“One full volume test is conducted annually, and neighbours are notified in advance. Eskom apologised to all the stakeholders including the public for the inconvenience this may have caused,” Eskom says.
Residents around Koeberg emergency planning zone have nuclear emergency plan calendars which advise them on what to do and not to do in cases of a Koeberg emergency.
