With Spring Storm season just around the corner, Citizens should become aware of information they need to be informed and prepared.
Warnings
Warnings are issued in Altus in the following manner.
- NOAA Weather Radio with Specific Area Messaging Encoder are alarmed by the National Weather Service to give AUTOMATIC audible and, for the hearing impaired, a visual alert.
- Sirens around the City will sound as activated by Emergency Management or 911 personnel, when there is a reason to sound the siren. There is NO all clear signal. If the Citizen hears a siren and is outside, the Citizen should quickly move inside. If the Citizen hears the siren and is inside, the Citizen should NOT go outside.
- Cable Television Override provides an audible message to subscribers of Cable Television.
- Citizens with cellular phone and/or paging service with email capabilities are encouraged to subscribe to services such as offered by EmergencyE, The Oklahoma Emergency Management service, or MyStateUSA.
- Citizens are encouraged to listen to local radio stations and area television stations for updates on local storm conditions. A portable, battery-powered AM radio, FM radio, or television set is a must-have for the personal disaster kit.
Warnings versus Watches
Warnings are issued when time is short. Watches are issued for hours at a time.
Clicking the Weather link on the Emergency Management web page will give the Citizen both the current conditions and any watches or warnings in place for the area.
Personal Disaster Kit
After preparing a plan using
http://www.fema.gov/areyouready as a guide, the Citizen should put personal disaster supplies in a kit. The Calendar on the EM web page gives the Citizen a systematic approach to building this kit.
As always, your emergency management department, including a cadre of dedicated volunteers, stands ready to assist the Citizens with answers to questions about mitigation, response, recovery, and preparedness for disasters, both man-made and natural.
