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000
NOUS46 KOTX 041143
PNSOTX

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SPOKANE WA
400 AM PDT SAT MAY 4 2013

...THE WEEK OF APRIL 28 THROUGH MAY 4 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 WARNINGS ARE ISSUED.

WHAT IS THE EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM...

THE EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM...OR 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 OFF...IF AN
ALARM IS TRANSMITTED...YOUR RADIO WILL TURN ON AND NOTIFY YOU OF THE
THREAT.

DO I NEED TO CHANGE MY WEATHER RADIO BECAUSE OF THE NEW DIGITAL TV?

NO...THE DIGITAL TV SIGNALS WILL HAVE NO AFFECT ON WEATHER RADIOS.

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 EITHER TORNADO OR SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
WARNINGS. IN FLASH FLOOD PRONE AREAS LIKE THE DESERT
SOUTHWEST...MANY OF THE WARNINGS ARE FOR FLASH FLOODS.  IN MANY
PARTS OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST...THERE COULD BE A MIX OF THOSE THREE
OR FOR HIGH WIND OR MAJOR FLOODING.

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.

WHAT SHOULD I DO 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 WEEKLY AND MONTHLY BASIS.  THE NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE ALSO CONDUCTS TESTS ON THE NOAA WEATHER RADIO
USUALLY ON WEDNESDAY AROUND NOON.   LISTEN FOR THE TESTS SO 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 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.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND ON THE WEB AT:
HTTP://WEATHER.GOV

THIS MESSAGE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY YOUR LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE OFFICE IN SPOKANE WASHINGTON.

$$