If you hear sirens across the Triangle Wednesday, don’t panic. What they’re about.
If you hear sirens blasting in the southern parts of the Triangle area Wednesday, don’t panic.
No, it’s not continued celebrations following the Hurricanes’ Stanley Cup Championship win.
Duke Energy’s Shearon Harris Nuclear Plant will conduct a five- to 30-second test of its warning sirens between 10 and 11 a.m.
No action or evacuation is needed for residents who hear the blares.
According to the energy company, all 85 sirens within the 10-mile Emergency Planning Zone around Duke Energy’s New Hill plant will sound. That includes Apex, Holly Springs, Fuquay-Varina and a handful of other municipalities in Wake, Chatham, Harnett and Lee counties.
The sirens are tested four times a year for routine maintenance. Expect a loud blare that rises and falls, likely repeating a few times.
In the case of a siren sounding outside regularly scheduled tests, Duke Energy directs residents to tune to their local radio or television station for information, or call their county’s emergency management department for guidance.
The next siren test is scheduled for Oct. 7 and will last for up to 3 minutes — the longest of Duke Energy’s siren assessments.
This story was originally published June 30, 2026 at 5:25 AM with the headline "If you hear sirens across the Triangle Wednesday, don’t panic. What they’re about.."
