NOUS42 KCHS 211724 PNSCHS SCZ043>045-049-050-231200- PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC 120 PM EDT MON AUG 21 2006 ...FULL SCALE EXERCISE OF SANTEE COOPER EMERGENCY ACTION PLAN ON WEDNESDAY... ON WEDNESDAY...AUGUST 23 2006...SANTEE-COOPER ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE WILL BE CONDUCTING A FULL SCALE EXERCISE OF THEIR EMERGENCY ACTION PLAN FOR CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF THE LAKE MARION NORTH DAM. THIS EXERCISE WILL TAKE PLACE BETWEEN 800 AM EDT AND 200 PM EDT. THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE /NWS/ PLAYS A VITAL ROLE IN THE EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION PROCESS DURING AN ACTUAL OR POTENTIAL FAILURE OF THE DAM. DURING AN ACTUAL EMERGENCY...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE /NWS/ WILL ISSUE A CIVIL EMERGENCY MESSAGE WITH DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT THE EMERGENCY AND RECOMMENDED ACTIONS. IF A DAM FAILURE HAS ALREADY OCCURRED...THE NWS WILL ALSO ISSUE FLASH FLOOD WARNINGS FOR AREAS EXPECTED TO BE IMPACTED. DURING WEDNESDAY/S DRILL...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CHARLESTON WILL BE ISSUING TWO TEST PRODUCTS. THE FIRST WILL BE A TEST CIVIL EMERGENCY MESSAGE /CEM/ FOR BERKELEY COUNTY. THIS PRODUCT WILL ACTIVATE THE EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM /EAS/ AS WELL AS TONE-ALERT NOAA WEATHER RADIO ALL-HAZARDS RECEIVERS. THE NEXT PRODUCT WILL BE A TEST FLASH FLOOD WARNING /FFW/ FOR BERKELEY COUNTY. THIS PRODUCT WILL ALSO ACTIVATE EAS AND TONE ALERT WEATHER RADIOS. ALTHOUGH THE EXACT TIME OF THE TEST CANNOT BE DETERMINED PRIOR TO THE ACTUAL EVENT...IT IS ESTIMATED THAT THE TEST PRODUCTS WILL BE ISSUED BETWEEN THE TIMES OF 815 AM AND 930 AM EDT. THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE UNDERSTANDS THAT THESE TEST PRODUCTS WILL TRIGGER RADIO RECEIVERS IN BERKELEY...CHARLESTON...AND DORCHESTER COUNTIES... MANY PORTIONS OF WHICH ARE WELL AWAY FROM THE TEST AREA NEAR THE SANTEE COOPER LAKES. WE APOLOGIZE FOR THIS INCONVENIENCE. WHETHER OR NOT THESE TEST PRODUCTS ALERT ON YOUR NOAA WEATHER RADIO ALL-HAZARDS RECEIVER WILL DEPEND ON WHAT TYPE OF RADIO YOU HAVE AND HOW IT IS CONFIGURED. THOSE WITH SPECIFIC AREA MESSAGE ENCODING /SAME/ RECEIVERS THAT ARE CONFIGURED TO RECEIVE THE /CEM/ AND /FFW/ PRODUCTS FOR BERKELEY COUNTY /CODE 045015/ SHOULD RECEIVE A TONE ALERT FOR BOTH PRODUCTS. IF YOU POSSESS A SAME-ENABLED RECEIVER BUT DO NOT HAVE THOSE PRODUCTS SPECIFICALLY PROGRAMMED...YOU WILL PROBABLY NOT RECEIVE THE ALERTS. THOSE WHO OWN NOAA WEATHER RADIO ALL-HAZARDS RECEIVERS THAT ARE NOT PROGRAMMABLE WITH SAME CODES WILL RECEIVE BOTH ALERTS AS LONG AS THEY ARE TUNED TO AND WITHIN RANGE OF ONE OF THE FOLLOWING AFFECTED STATIONS... KHB-29 OPERATING ON 162.550 MHZ FROM AWENDAW SC WXM-93 OPERATING ON 162.475 MHZ FROM CROSS SC PLEASE DIRECT ANY QUESTIONS TO WARNING COORDINATION METEOROLOGIST PAUL YURA...AT 843.744.0303 X223 OR PAUL.YURA@NOAA.GOV. $$ LAMB