Last Updated on March 18, 2017 by cassnetwork
The Indiana Department of Homeland Security (IDHS) is partnering with all 92 counties in the state to distribute more than 2,200 all-hazard (weather) radios to Hoosiers. The radios will be distributed on the local level by each county’s emergency management agency.
“Receiving early warnings is critical to safety during severe weather events,” said John Erickson, IDHS Director of Public Affairs. “All-hazard radios, which provide a wide range of alerts, are a valuable tool that can help citizens make decisions to better protect themselves and their families.”
The distribution focuses on citizens who are particularly vulnerable to the damaging effects of severe weather: economically disadvantaged citizens, residents of mobile and prefabricated homes and others who may not be able to receive weather alerts by traditional means. Federal grants funded the purchase of the radios.
Mobile homes and other similar structures provide minimal protection against severe weather and other life-threatening disasters. In the event of severe weather, IDHS advises mobile home residents to seek shelter in a building with a strong foundation.
All-hazard radios receive more than 60 emergency alerts including hazardous weather, local area warnings and information on current conditions from the National Weather Service. In the event of a power outage, backup batteries power the radio.
Most all-hazard radios require a Specific Area Message Encoding (SAME) code number, which limits the emergency messages they receive to a specific geographic area. The list of Indiana counties and their corresponding SAME codes are available at http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/coverage/ccov.php?State=IN.
To find contact information for county emergency management agencies, visit http://www.in.gov/dhs/2797.htm. For more information on severe weather safety and other topics, go to GetPrepared.in.gov.
SOURCE: News release from Indiana Department of Homeland Security