TVA to test Blue Ridge dam sirens next Thurs.
Thursday, May 26, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Fannin residents need to be prepared to hear an unfamiliar sound as the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) tests the siren/warning system below Blue Ridge Dam.
TVA’s Mary Ellen Miller said last week residents can expect to hear a loud alarm for approximately three to five minutes and more than one test may take place during the four hour window.
Residents from Blue Ridge to McCaysville can expect to hear the sirens that are placed at Tammen Park, in Mineral Bluff, on Toccoa River Forrest Road, and in McCaysville.
Miller said TVA recently installed the siren/warning system as one of several dam safety precautions in the unlikely event of a severe natural disaster such as a large earthquake.
TVA’s goal is to add to existing safeguards for downstream communities in the event of an emergency, Miller said.
Since 2010, TVA has invested around $900 million in dam safety projects across the Tennessee Valley. The new siren/warning system below Blue Ridge Dam is one component of the ongoing safety program underway at the dam.
TVA will maintain the sirens and test them annually to ensure they work as designed.
In the event of severe weather Thursday, May 26, the test will be postponed.