MINERAL BLUFF, Ga. – With safety of the public and its employees a top priority, TVA is testing the new siren/warning system on Thursday, May 26 between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. near Blue Ridge Dam. Residents near the sirens can expect to hear a loud alarm for approximately three to five minutes. More than one audio test may take place in the four-hour time window. Note: In the event of severe weather in the area May 26, the test will be postponed.

Sirens can be heard in Blue Ridge, Mineral Bluff, Copperhill and McCaysville.

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.

The siren/warning system is a result of a multi year assessment that looked at all of TVA’s major dams. Sirens would only activate in the unlikely event of an impending dam failure as a result of an extreme natural event such as a major earthquake or flood.

Since 2010, TVA has invested about $900 million in dam safety projects across the Tennessee Valley.  The installation of the siren/warning system is one component of the ongoing, dam safety program underway at Blue Ridge Dam.

TVA is working closely with Fannin County Emergency Management Agency on this project and coordinated with them on the placement of the sirens. Sirens were placed in Tammen Park, Mineral Bluff, on Toccoa River Forrest Road, and in McCaysville. TVA will maintain the sirens and test them annually to ensure they work as designed.

For more information and a map of the siren locations, please visit the Blue Ridge Dam page. Sign up for notices from Fannin County Emergency Alerts at Emergency Management Agency - Fannin County Georgia Government.

For more information about TVA and its 88-year mission of service to the Tennessee Valley, click here.

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