CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Kanawha County & Charleston Homeland Security Emergency Management, Metro 911, and the West Virginia State University Department of Public Safety will be conducting a shelter-in-place drill today, Wednesday, February 27, at approximately 12:00 p.m. The drill will last approximately 30-45 minutes and will be confined to the West Virginia State University campus. As part of the drill, the outdoor warning siren at the West Virginia State University campus will sound, landlines will receive a notification, and cell phone messages will be sent to individuals in the area. All messages will advise the WVSU campus community, and area residents that this is only a drill. Officials rely on Metro 911 to initiate warnings to the public. Kanawha County & Charleston Officials met with West Virginia State University Department of Public Safety officials to prepare for the upcoming drill. Kanawha County warning sirens, reverse 911, social media, and mass notification systems, including the KC Ready App, are utilized during such events and will be tested during this drill. People who happen to be in the area of Interstate 64 along the Dunbar and Institute area may receive a notification of an emergency drill on their cell phones and may hear some PA announcements, however, ‘this is only a test’.
The exercise will be held in conjunction with the county’s monthly test of its outdoor warning sirens. It is very important for the public to remember that one long, three minute blast from our sirens means something serious is going on [and they should] immediately seek shelter and monitor local news media and credible social media sources.
