People living near the Cooper nuclear plant received the second false alarm in two weeks Sunday when the National Weather Service issued a civil emergency message that it quickly retracted.
The NWS broadcast the message over its pager notification system at 3:49 p.m. while preparing for an upcoming emergency exercise at the plant, according to a report filed with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Twelve minutes later, the agency issued a second message instructing people to disregard the earlier transmission.
The Nebraska Public Power District, which owns the plant, reported in a release that NWS personnel were updating wording in a computer system and issued the message by mistake. Local governments were notified and also made announcements explaining the error. The broadcast followed a false alarm July 24 during work on a computer system that operates a siren in Nemaha County, Neb.
“Computer systems are supposed to make us more efficient, accurate and proactive in protecting the public. Unfortunately, they recently have caused confusion,” NPPD CEO Pat Pope said in a release. “NPPD asks the public around the plant for its patience and understanding. Work on these computer systems is being done to help – not hinder – our emergency planning and response activities.”