A province-wide emergency alert across Ontario indicating an issue at the Pickering nuclear station this week was issued in error during a routine training exercise from the Provincial Emergency Operations Centre (PEOC), according to government officials. “There was no incident at the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station that should have triggered public notification. Nor was there ever any danger to the public or environment,” wrote Solicitor General Sylvia Jones in a statement.
The incident follows a similar mishap in Hawaii last year, where false reporting and a 38 minute lag before corrections were issues caused widespread panic among residents. A study in American Psychologist showed that “anxiety expressed on Twitter increased 4.6% on the day of the false alert and anxiety during the 38-min alert period increased 3.4% every 15 min.”
In the aftermath following the Pickering incident, the CBC produced a recap of how citizens can, and should, react to these events, including tips on what to expect in terms of alerts. In addition to the amber alert issued by mobile phone, air sirens in the immediate area, indoor alerts through autodialled phone calls, and other measures are put into action, according to the CBC article.
Sources:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/pickering-nuclear-generating-station-1.5424115
https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2019-42606-001
https://www.cbc.ca/news/nuclear-emergency-prepared-ontario-1.5424284
