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NOUS46 KOTX 101032
PNSOTX
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WA
400 AM PDT SAT MAY 10 2008
...THE WEEK OF MAY 4-10 IS SEVERE WEATHER AWARENESS WEEK IN
IDAHO...OREGON...AND WASHINGTON...
..NOAA WEATHER RADIO / ALL HAZARDS INFORMATION
NOAA WEATHER RADIO USES THE EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM TO ALARM RADIOS
WHEN SOME WARNINGS ARE ISSUED.
WHAT IS THE EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM?
THE EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM...ALSO KNOWN AS EAS...IS USED BY ALL
BROADCASTERS THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES AS A MEANS OF ALERTING THE
PUBLIC TO LIFE AND PROPERTY THREATENING SITUATIONS. A DIGITAL BURST
OF DATA CONTAINS INFORMATION ABOUT THE DANGER SUCH AS WHAT THE
THREAT IS...WHERE IT IS...AND WHEN THE THREAT WILL EXIST. WHEN THE
EAS SYSTEM IS ACTIVATED EITHER A VOICE IS HEARD AND/OR A VOICE AND
TEXT CRAWL FOR TV IS DISPLAYED DESCRIBING THE THREAT. SPECIALLY
BUILT RADIO AND TV RECEIVERS ARE ALSO CAPABLE OF TURNING THEMSELVES
ON UPON RECEIPT OF AN EAS SIGNAL. SO EVEN IF YOUR RADIO IS IN
SILENT STANDBY MODE...WHEN AN ALARM IS TRANSMITTED...YOUR RADIO WILL
ACTIVATE AND NOTIFY YOU OF THE THREAT.
DO I NEED TO CHANGE MY WEATHER RADIO WHEN THE NEW DIGITAL TV STARTS?
NO...THE DIGITAL TV SIGNALS SLATED TO START IN FEBRUARY 2009 WILL
HAVE NO AFFECT ON WEATHER RADIO. YOUR WEATHER RADIOS PURCHASED IN
THE PAST AND IN THE FUTURE WILL CONTINUE TO RECEIVE THE NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE FORECASTS...WATCHES...AND WARNINGS. NO MODIFICATION
WILL BE NEEDED.
WHERE CAN YOU GET RADIOS AND TVS THAT ARE EAS EQUIPPED?
ASK YOUR LOCAL ELECTRONIC'S DEALER OR SEARCH THE INTERNET FOR
PRODUCTS THAT ARE EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM ENABLED. INEXPENSIVE NOAA
WEATHER RADIOS THAT ARE EAS ENABLED ARE AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE AT A
VARIETY OF ELECTRONIC STORES. EAS ENABLED TVS ARE RELATIVELY NEW
BUT ARE ALSO AVAILABLE. MOST OF THE NOAA WEATHER RADIO RECEIVERS
CAN BE PLACED IN A SILENT STANDBY MODE READY TO SOUND THE ALARM WHEN
A WARNING IS ISSUED. A LIST OF ALL HAZARDS RADIOS CAN BE FOUND AT
WEATHER.GOV/NWR.
WHAT KIND OF WARNINGS ARE TRANSMITTED WITH THE EAS SIGNAL?
MOST WARNINGS ACROSS THE COUNTRY ARE WEATHER RELATED. IN TORNADO
ALLEY MOST WARNINGS ARE DUE TO TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS.
IN THE DESERT SOUTHWEST...MANY OF THE WARNINGS ARE FOR FLASH
FLOODS. IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST...THERE COULD BE A MIX OF ALL
THREE TYPES OF WARNINGS.
IN ADDITION TO WEATHER WARNINGS...EAS CAN BE USED BY LOCAL CIVIL
AUTHORITIES TO WARN OF A CHILD ABDUCTION EMERGENCY OR HAZARDOUS
MATERIALS SPILL SUCH AS A TANKER TRUCK ACCIDENT INVOLVING DANGEROUS
CHEMICALS.
WHEN AN EAS WARNING IS HEARD ON RADIO OR TV?
LISTEN CAREFULLY TO THE MESSAGE. WHEN AN EAS ACTIVATION OCCURS THE
BROADCASTER...OR TEXT MESSAGE ON TV...WILL DESCRIBE THE REASON FOR
THE ACTIVATION...THE LOCATION WHERE THE THREAT EXISTS...AND THE TIME
FRAME WHEN THE HAZARD IS EXPECTED TO EXIST. INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO
AVOID THE THREAT MAY ALSO BE PART OF THE MESSAGE.
THE EAS SYSTEM IS TESTED ON A WEEKLY AND MONTHLY BASIS. THE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALSO CONDUCTS TESTS ON THE NOAA WEATHER
RADIO USUALLY ON WEDNESDAY MORNING. LISTEN FOR THE TESTS SO THAT
YOU RECOGNIZE WHAT AN EAS ACTIVATION SOUNDS LIKE. WHEN A REAL
ACTIVATION TAKES PLACE...YOU WILL BE ABLE TO IMMEDIATELY RECOGNIZE
THE EAS SOUND.
HOW DO I HEAR NOAA WEATHER RADIO?
NOAA WEATHER RADIO IS BROADCAST ON FREQUENCIES RANGING FROM 162.400
MHZ TO 162.550 MHZ. THIS FREQUENCY RANGE IS JUST ABOVE THE NORMAL
FM BAND. SPECIAL NOAA WEATHER RADIO RECEIVERS CAN BE PURCHASED OR
MANY MULTI BAND RADIOS AND SCANNERS ALSO INCLUDE THE NOAA WEATHER
RADIO FREQUENCIES. YOU CAN CHECK FOR YOUR NEAREST TRANSMITTER AT
WEATHER.GOV/NWR.
WHEN IMPORTANT INFORMATION MUST BE RELAYED QUICKLY TO THE
PUBLIC...EAS WILL MOST LIKELY BE USED. WHEN YOU HEAR THE EAS ALERT
SIGNAL...PAY ATTENTION TO THE INFORMATION AND TAKE APPROPRIATE
ACTION. THE INFORMATION YOU HEAR WILL KEEP YOU OUT OF HARMS WAY.
HERE IS A LIST OF WEATHER RADIO TRANSMITTERS AND FREQUENCIES SERVING
PORTIONS OF EASTERN OREGON AND EASTERN WASHINGTON TRANSMITTER
FREQUENCY MHZ
CLE ELUM WA162.400
YAKIMA WA162.550
RICHLAND WA162.450
GOLDENDALE WA162.525
PLYMOUTH WA162.425
DAYTON WA162.525
THE DALLES OR162.400
BEND OR162.500
FOSSIL OR162.550
HEPPNER OR162.425
UMATILLA OR162.500
PENDLETON OR162.425
JOHN DAY OR162.500
PENDLETON OR162.400
*********************************************************************
THIS WEEK IS SEVERE WEATHER AWARENESS WEEK IN THE PACIFIC
NORTHWEST. NOW IS THE TIME TO GET PREPARED FOR THUNDERSTORMS AND
TORNADOES.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND ON THE WEB AT:
HTTP://WEATHER.GOV.
THIS MESSAGE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY YOUR LOCAL NOAA NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE OFFICE.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO PREVIOUS BULLETINS.
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