An emergency nuclear alert about a mysterious 'incident' terrified Canadians, but the
 

An emergency nuclear alert about a mysterious 'incident' terrified Canadians, but the notification was sent out by accident
By: Business Insider -01-12-20
Re: https://www.businessinsider.com/nucl...ergency-2020-1


https://image.businessinsider.com/5e...jpeg&auto=webp
A photo taken at the Pickering B Nuclear Generating Station; A screenshot of the emergency push notification accidentally sent to Canadians. Richard Lautens/Toronto Star via Getty Images, Twitter/@AB_CANADAR

* Canadians near the city of Pickering in Ontario received a terrifying push alert about an 'incident' at the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station on Sunday – but the emergency notification was sent by mistake.

* The alert appears to have been sent throughout the Province of Ontario and specifically alerted people within 10 kilometers of the station.
It said emergency staff were responding to the 'incident,' but that there had been "NO abnormal release of radioactivity from the station" and that people nearby did not need to take action at the time.

* Later, some people who had received the first alert received a second one that said there was no active nuclear situation and that the first push had been an accident.

* The City of Pickering confirmed that the initial alert had been a mistake on Twitter, and the mayor of Pickering tweeted that he was "demanding that a full investigation take place."

Candians throughout the Province of Ontario received an emergency push alert early Sunday morning about a nuclear "incident" in the city of Pickering, 30 minutes outside Toronto.

The alert said it applied to people within 10 kilometers of the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station, and while it said "NO abnormal release of radioactivity from the station," people who got the notificiation were terrified – until at least some got a second notification more than an hour later that it had been a mistake.

The initial alert sent to cell phones at around 7:30 a.m. advised that "emergency staff" were responding to the situation, but that people nearby did not need to take "proactive actions" at the time, and should be alert for more news about the incident.

However, officials confirmed by around 8:30 a.m. that the alert had been sent in error. Some alert recipients got another notification after 9:00 a.m. that said "There is NO active nuclear situation" and clarified the error, but reports online show not everybody received the second alert.

The City of Pickering's official Twitter account also confirmed that there was "no danger to the public" despite the alert, which is reminiscent of the significantly more terrifying accidental ballistic missile threat alert sent to Hawaiians almost exactly two years ago.

Ontario Power Generation, which oversees the nuclear generating station, also confirmed the notification was an error and that no dangerous incident had occurred. Multiple officials spoke out about the accidental push alert, including the Mayor of Pickering on Twitter.

"Like many of you, I was very troubled to have received that emergency alert this morning," he wrote. "While I am relieved that there was no actual emergency, I am upset that an error such as this occurred. I have spoken to the Province, and am demanding that a full investigation take place."