West Valley residents to receive emergency test alert

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) -- For West Valley residents, don’t be alarmed if you get an alert on your phone early Friday afternoon. Surprise city officials say the Maricopa County Department of Emergency Management is conducting a wireless emergency alert test for the Palo Verde Generating Station, a nuclear power plant located in Tonopah.

The alert will trigger a text message to surrounding West Valley residents, but it could reach some outside the vicinity as well. The alert is scheduled to go out at 12:15 p.m. MST. Residents will receive a text reading, “This is a test of Maricopa County Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is required.”

Testing of the alert system is required by federal agencies. For more information, contact the Maricopa County Department of Emergency Management at 602-273-1411 or visit ready.maricopa.gov.

Maricopa County Department of Emergency Management is conducting a Wireless Emergency Alert test for the Palo Verde Generating Station on Friday, Nov. 17 at approximately 12:15 p.m. The test message will be sent to a limited area. However, it may reach some outside the area. pic.twitter.com/Br6CpPhLEM
— City of Surprise (@AZSurprise) November 15, 2023