The staff at the plant gathered at the emergency operations center to test 41 sirens in three counties. All of the sirens passed the test. In August, 40 sirens were tested in Wake County.
Security at the plant has also been increased in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks. Security personnel are checking everyone who goes in and out of the plant.
The National Guard is currently watching over six power plants in the United States. However, there are no plans for the National Guard to watch over power plants in North Carolina.
The sirens are one part of Harris Plant's emergency planning procedures, and they are tested rigorously and often. Because these were tests, local broadcasting stations did not interrupt their regular programming to broadcast Emergency Alert System messages.
If a real emergency were to happen, WRAL and other local TV and radio stations would broadcast information and instructions for the public.
Earlier this week, the Federal Aviation Administration restricted airspace around nuclear plants across the country. As a result, the Lee County airport in Sanford has been shut down.
The airport is within a 10-mile radius of the plant, and all airspace within 10 miles of a nuclear plant is now restricted.
Two grass airstrips near the Harris plant have also been closed.
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