South Bend, Washington – On September 15, 2010 shortly after 10:15 a.m. the All Hazard Alert Broadcast (AHAB) sirens will be tested sounding both the standard test message and the actual warning tone. The AHAB sirens in Pacific County and the other outer Washington coastal counties are being activated to conduct a true “end-to-end” test of the entire tsunami warning system. This test will help familiarize residents with the sound made by the AHAB sirens during an actual tsunami warning. It will differ from the routine monthly testing that occurs on the first Monday of each month since it will broadcast an audible siren wail tone instead of a chime tone; however, the voice message will be exactly the same as the routine test message. NOAA weather radios set to receive the required monthly test will also activate during this test. This event is a key element in the Weather Radio Awareness Month campaign in Washington State as well as National Preparedness Month and earthquake and tsunami education efforts. Citizens with questions or concerns should contact the Pacific County Emergency Management office at (360) 642-9340 or (360) 875-9340.
South Bend, Washington – University of Washington grad student, Jeana Wiser will be on the Long Beach Peninsula July 19th – July 24th, 2010, to ground-truth work for the joint Pacific County, Washington State, and University of Washington Vertical Evacuation project. Ms. Wiser will be looking at four communities: Long Beach, Ocean Park/ North Peninsula, Ilwaco/Seaview, and Tokeland/North Cove. For each community Ms. Wiser intends to examine in detail, each of the proposed vertical evacuation sites, current assembly areas, and areas where walking routes could be reinforced to provide easy access to high ground.
Additionally, Ms. Wiser is seeking volunteers from the community to walk routes from their house/workplace to one of the proposed vertical evacuation sites, high ground or current assembly areas. Each walking volunteer will be asked to provide the following information: 1) address of starting point; 2) address of ending point; 3) walking speed (slower than average, average, faster than average;) 4) age (18 and younger, 19-30, 31-50, 50-65, 65+); and 5) time it took to complete the walk. If you are interested in volunteering to walk or know others who may be interested please contact Ms. Wiser at [email protected]. Pacific County Emergency Management thanks everyone for their participation and assistance! Vertical Evacuation Opportunities in Tokeland/North CoveSouth Bend, Washington – A meeting regarding vertical evacuation opportunities in Tokeland/North Cove will be held July 13, 2010 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Shoalwater Bay Tribal Center, 2373 Old Tokeland Road. This meeting is open to all residents of the Tokeland/North Cove area. Draft results from the initial meeting held on June 22, 2010 that illustrate where potential vertical evacuation sites could be located as well as the types of evacuation strategies that could be employed in the Tokeland/North Cove area will be presented for further discussion. This meeting will be an opportunity for all attendees to learn about tsunami vertical evacuation and participate in analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of various alternatives that have been developed based upon community input. All are welcome and encouraged to attend. Residents with questions or concerns may contact the PCEMA office at (360) 875-9338.
South Bend, Washington – The Pacific County Emergency Management Agency’s (PCEMA) All Hazard Alert Broadcast (AHAB) siren system next regularly scheduled monthly test will be Monday, July 5th at noon. It is recommended that residents of Pacific County mark their calendars for the monthly AHAB siren system test. The test is currently scheduled for the first Monday of every month at noon.
During testing, the sirens will sound the Westminster Chimes for 10 seconds followed by a 15 second verbal message stating “The following is a test of the siren warning system. It is only a test. This is a test of the siren warning system. If this had been a real emergency you should tune your radio to your local radio station or listen to this system for further instructions. This was only a test.” In actual events, the AHAB sirens will sound a constant tone for three continuous minutes, and may be followed by a verbal message. Both the Westminster chimes and the actual warning tone can be heard by visiting the PCEMA website at www.co.pacific.wa.us/pcema and clicking on the Tsunami tab. There are currently twelve AHAB sirens installed in Pacific County located in the areas of North Cove, Bay Center, Ilwaco, Seaview, Long Beach, Surfside, and Ocean Park. Sirens are not designed to be heard indoors and the sound may also be impacted by adverse weather. Residents are encouraged to have alternate methods of warning such as NOAA weather radios, which are tested weekly and can be heard indoors. Residents with questions or concerns may contact the PCEMA office at (360) 875-9340 or (360) 642-9340. Long Beach, Washington – The Pacific County Amateur Radio Club (PCARC) will hold the 9th annual North American Field Day operating event the weekend of June 26th at the Port of Peninsula and Morehead Park. This waterfront area has proven to be an excellent site for radio transmissions and is utilized through the generosity of both Port of Peninsula and Pacific County.
Field Day is an operating event and informal contest where Radio Amateurs in North America emphasize emergency communications skills and rapid setup of radios and antennas powered by batteries and/or generators. After a 24 hour setup period, the 24 hour operating event begins during which local amateur radio operators will practice emergency message handling as well as make hundreds of radio contacts, likely including several Emergency Operations Centers (EOC’s) throughout the country. Annually contact is made with nearly all states and Provinces of Canada and Mexico and the Virgin Islands All told the Pacific County Amateur Radio Club will operate a “Get on the Air” Station, a Single Side Band Station, a Morse Code Station, a packet (digital) Station, and a VHF Station, demonstrating the capability of radio amateurs of Pacific County. Friday evening, prior to the start of the contest portion of Field Day, operating Field Day stations make test contacts with preset locations locally and in adjacent states. This test proves the viability of the each working station and antenna arrays. The public is invited to observe amateur radio at work and learn how to make contact with another radio station in North America. One station is dedicated for use by the public and for amateurs who do not typically operate on the short-wave bands. The best time to visit operations is Saturday midday through late afternoon. Stop by the information booth for a brochure, a tour, or to ask questions about becoming a licensed radio amateur. The information booth will be located in the Port of Peninsula parking area. The Pacific County Amateur Radio Club meets the second Saturday of each month at 9:00AM at Hunter’s Inn in Naselle. Anyone interested in ham radio is encouraged to attend. For more information contact: Dick Lemke, President and Field Day Chairman 665-2438 or Bob Cline, Emergency Services Volunteer 665-4496. South Bend, Washington – The All Hazard Alert Broadcast (AHAB) siren system spotter reports have been received by the Pacific County Emergency Management Agency (PCEMA) and forwarded to the Washington Emergency Management Division (WAEMD). The results for today’s test are: Notes: The sequence heard today was 1) chimes with light, 2) wailing siren, 3) high-low pitch siren, 4) chimes, and 5) voice. The voice announcement was short, “tsunami, volcano, hazardous material”. There was no indication this event was a test. At some sites it was reported that the voice was overdriven and distorted. Ilwaco - 807 Whealdon: no chimes, no voice, no light Cape Disappointment - Space 90: chimes, voice, light activated Surfside - 33104 J Place: chimes, voice, light activated Ocean Park - 21611 V Ln: chimes, voice, light activated Ocean Park - 2017 304th Ln: chimes, voice activated, no light Ocean Park - 27212 U Street: chimes, voice, light activated Ocean Park - 2408 245th Lane: chimes, voice, light activated Bay Center - 408 Bay Center Road: chimes, voice activated, light unknown Seaview - 3801 N Place: chimes, voice, light activated Long Beach - 9211 X Street: chimes, voice, light activated Long Beach - 319 2nd Street: chimes, voice, light activated North Cove - 2829 SR 105 (PCFD5)* North Cove - Seabreeze Rd/Warrenton Cannery Rd**PCEMA is still awaiting spotter reports from the North Cove area. Volunteers for the Pacific County Sheriff’s Office Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) serve as AHAB siren spotters every month. Without their service PCEMA would be unable to submit timely and accurate monthly test results to WAEMD. The cause for the AHAB sirens sounding multiple tones and alerts during today’s test is still under investigation. PCEMA will continue to work with WAEMD to determine the cause of the malfunction. Residents with questions or concerns may contact the PCEMA office at (360) 875-9340 or (360) 642-9340.
South Bend, Washington – The Pacific County Emergency Management Agency’s (PCEMA) All Hazard Alert Broadcast (AHAB) siren system was activated today as part of the regular monthly testing schedule. There were issues with the siren activations and preliminary reports are indicating that results at each siren site may differ. PCEMA is awaiting the official spotter reports. PCEMA is working closely with the Washington Emergency Management Division to determine the cause of the malfunction. The standard procedure for the monthly test is for the sirens to sound the Westminster Chimes for 10 seconds followed by a 15 second verbal message stating “The following is a test of the siren warning system. It is only a test. This is a test of the siren warning system. If this had been a real emergency you should tune your radio to your local radio station or listen to this system for further instructions. This was only a test.” In actual events, the AHAB sirens will sound the constant tone for three continuous minutes, and may be followed by a verbal message. Both the Westminster chimes and the actual warning tone can be heard by visiting the PCEMA website at www.co.pacific.wa.us/pcema. Residents with questions or concerns may contact the PCEMA office at (360) 875-9340 or (360) 642-9340.
South Bend, Washington – The National Weather Service (NWS) in Portland has issued a high wind warning which is in effect from 1:00 p.m. this afternoon to 9:00 p.m. this evening. An unseasonably strong low pressure system will move northeast to Vancouver Island this afternoon and tonight bringing strong winds to the coast late this morning through this evening. South winds of 40 mph with gusts to around 60 mph are expected. Gusts to 70 mph are possible at exposed headlands and beaches. Precautionary/Preparedness Actions: A high wind warning means a hazardous high wind event is expected or occurring. Sustained wind speeds of at least 40 mph or gusts of 58 mph or more can lead to property damage. For the most up to date weather information from the NWS please visit http://www.weather.gov/portland. This page brings up all advisories, watches, and warnings for the southwest Washington area.
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