The Luzerne County Emergency Management Agency is updating alert and notification methods for nuclear emergencies at Talen Energy’s nuclear power plant in Salem Twp.
Public sirens will no longer be used for nuclear emergencies at the Susquehanna Steam Electric Station (SSES) and have “largely been phased out for other emergencies,” according to an announcement posted on the county Department of Emergency Services-EMA webpage.
Effective April 1, the primary and backup emergency alert methods will officially be updated to the Integrated Public Alert & Warning System Wireless Emergency Alert System of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the CodeRED mass notification system.
“IPAWS-WEA and CodeRED can reach members of the public quickly, regardless of where they are located at the time, and provide both alerts and instructions in one step,” the announcement said. “By officially updating the alert and notification methods, nuclear emergency plans now align with what is already in practice across the board.”
Emergency Alert System messages broadcast on local TV and radio stations will continue as emergency notification methods. A route alerting system, which uses vehicles with public address systems canvassing the area, provides a tertiary backup method.
IPAWS-WEA is FEMA’s nationwide digital notification system which automatically sends wireless notifications to cell phones without the need to download an app or subscribe to a service.
CodeRED automatically calls public landlines and provides notifications via cell phone, text message and email for those who opt in. Messages are received regardless of location.
All Luzerne County residents are encouraged to enroll in CodeRED and opt in for additional notifications, Luzerne County Deputy Director of Emergency Services David Elmore said. It’s free to sign up for additional CodeRED alerts.
Residents and businesses can register by clicking on the CodeRED logo on the county Department of Emergency Services-EMA webpage. They can also text “LuzerneAlerts” to 99411 to receive an text response containing the Community Notification Enrollment link, can press on the link provided and then can follow the directions.
“The CodeRED system was created in 1998 and is used by more than 3,000 state and local government entities across the United States and Canada. We have successfully used CodeRED to inform the public of a variety events like severe weather and incidents of public impact for some time now, as well as having done extensive test messages sent to the public regarding the SSES plant.” Elmore said in the announcement.
Originally Published: March 25, 2025 at 12:37 PM EDT