When San Francisco’s Outdoor Public Warning System went off at around 3:47 PM Sunday, residents of course wondered what was going on — typically the, the siren sounds off only on Tuesdays at noon, in a weekly test of the system.
According to a San Francisco Department of Emergency Management spokesperson reached by the Appeal, however, the sirens went off “by mistake” on Sunday afternoon, and San Franciscans have nothing to fear.
The Department of Emergency Management spokesperson couldn’t offer any additional details on how the siren accident occurred at publication time.
According to SF 311’s Twitter account, “The siren signified the end of Sunday Streets, this week in Chinatown. Should only have been in Chinatown.”
At 5:15 PM, well over an hour after the event, Alert SF emailed and texted subscribers with the message that “the sirens were activated citywide inadvertently this afternoon. There is no emergency in San Francisco.”
According to the Department of Emergency Management, if you hear the siren at any time other than noon Tuesday, San Franciscans should: stop what they’re are doing, stay calm, listen for possible voice announcements, and turn on the radio or television, (such as KCBS 740AM, KQED 88.5 FM) for important information provided by the city.
DEM also says we should “Avoid using the telephone…unless you have a life-threatening emergency.” Guess I blew that one, by making calls to city offices to figure out what was up. Sorry about that, DEM!
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