08/06/2026
🚨 MONTHLY TEST OF EMERGENCY ALERTS — TOMORROW 🚨
As part of our commitment to public safety, the Ottawa County Emergency Management Agency will conduct our monthly IPAWS/WEA test TOMORROW, August 7, 2026, at 12:00 PM Noon, in conjunction with our monthly outdoor warning siren test.
📱 WHAT TO EXPECT
A test Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) will be sent to mobile devices located within Ottawa County between 12:00 PM and 12:30 PM.
To receive the test alert:
• You must be physically located within Ottawa County during the test window.
• Test Alerts must be enabled on your mobile device.
For more information about Ottawa County's emergency alerting systems, visit:
https://co.ottawa.oh.us/238/Emergency-Alerts
📢 IMPORTANT UPDATE REGARDING DAVIS-BESSE SIRENS
Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station has officially begun the decommissioning process for its outdoor warning sirens located within the Davis-Besse Emergency Planning Zone (EPZ).(map down below)
As part of this process, ALL but four EPZ sirens will be removed from service.
The sirens were offered to the jurisdictions where they are located so those jurisdictions could retain and maintain them. Two jurisdictions elected to keep their sirens:
🔊 Two sirens in the Village of Oak Harbor
🔊 Two sirens in the portion of Harris Township located within the EPZ
These four sirens will remain in place and will continue to be maintained by their respective jurisdictions.
The remaining EPZ sirens are currently being disconnected from their primary power source. These sirens have battery backup capabilities that can keep them operational for approximately one week during the transition process.
⚠️ PLEASE NOTE: The decommissioning applies ONLY to the sirens located within the Davis-Besse EPZ.
Sirens located outside of the EPZ are not part of this decommissioning process. Those sirens are already owned and maintained by the jurisdictions where they are located.
📱 OTTAWA COUNTY'S EMERGENCY ALERTING SYSTEM
Ottawa County is utilizing IPAWS as a primary tool for delivering emergency information directly to the public, while continuing to use the remaining outdoor warning sirens throughout the county when appropriate.
Think of IPAWS as an umbrella that includes several emergency alerting methods, including:
📱 Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA)
📻 Emergency Alert System (EAS)
🌦️ NOAA Weather Radio
WEA can send emergency notifications directly to compatible mobile phones, helping reach people whether they are indoors, sleeping, at work, or traveling — essentially putting an emergency alert system right in your pocket.
⚠️ WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?
This monthly message is ONLY A TEST. No action is required.
✅ No sign-up is necessary to receive actual WEA alerts.
As emergency communications continue to evolve, these monthly tests help us ensure our alerting systems are ready to work when you need them most.
Questions or concerns about the siren transition or emergency alerting systems? Contact the Ottawa County Emergency Management Agency:
📧 [email protected]
📞 419-734-6900
Thank you for helping us keep Ottawa County safe and informed! ❤️
