The new Indian Point emergency notification system went online at noon Wednesday after more than a year and a half of delays.

The new sirens were turned on after the Federal Emergency Management Agency gave the final approval last week.

Under a law enacted in 2005, Entergy, which owns the Indian Point nuclear plant, was required to provide back-up power for the sirens. But the company chose to go one step further and replace the old sirens altogether with a new state-of-the-art system.

The installation of the new sirens, however, was plagued with construction delays and technical problems, causing Entergy to miss three deadlines. As a result, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission fined the company almost $800,000.

"We picked ourselves up along the way,? says Entergy Spokesperson Jerry Nappi. ?We took our lumps and moved on, and now we're proud this day has arrived."

NRC representative Neil Sheehan says agency officials have not yet decided if Entergy will face additional fines because of the delays.

And according to Westchester County's Emergency Services commissioner, the work on the new system is not yet complete.

"This is very much like buying a house," says Tony Sutton, of Westchester Emergency Services. "We have a punch list of some items that need to be addressed. None of them are show stoppers, per-se."

Residents, however, say they are relieved the new sirens are finally up and running.

"We wish that Indian Point would close because we are in the 10 mile radius," says Ariane Rudolf, of Katonah. "But it looks like they're making an effort to notify us of things happening."

Although the new emergency sirens are now online, the old sirens will serve as backups for at least another year.