A programming error led to 194 residents being notified by telephone that a ship was leaking radioactive material near Port Penn this morning. It took nearly an hour until they were told there was no such disaster.

The message, part of a training exercise and not intended for public distribution, was sent out about 11:30 a.m. by First Call, the company that operates the state's reverse-911 system, said Kevin Wilson, of the Delaware Emergency Management Agency.

It instructed the recipients who live within a half mile of 5 South Congress St. in Port Penn to shelter in place and tune radios to the Emergency Alert System for details.

The message led the recipients to believe that an actual event had taken place, Wilson said.

Then at 12:25 p.m., First Call issued another message to the homes affected saying the first one was sent in error.

Matthew Teague, president of First Call, apologized to residents for any inconvenience.