Sonoma County, weather service to do alert test for emergency radios

Sonoma County and the National Weather Service Bay Area will conduct an emergency alert test of NOAA weather radios at noon on Friday.

The county and NOAA use the alerting function on weather radios to notify the public of imminent hazards or threats, including evacuations, tsunamis and flood warnings. The radio itself broadcasts continuous weather information directly from the National Weather Service offices across the country.

Residents who own a NOAA weather radio from around the county can participate in the test. Then they are being asked to let organizers know whether their radio received the text message.

“We encourage everyone in Sonoma County with a NOAA weather radio to participate in this exercise,” said James Gore, District 4 supervisor and chairperson of the county Board of Supervisors. “Learning to use the tools you have at your disposal during an emergency can be life saving for you and your family.”

The warning alarm will sound one time, followed by a short test message and then a closing alarm tone. The test message will be transmitted as a Civil Emergency Message, and the words “Civil Emergency Message” may scroll across the visual displays of compatible radios. Tune into frequency 162.475.

Device owners are encouraged to:

• Make sure the device is plugged in with backup batteries installed.
• Set up correctly per the radio manufacturer instructions.
• Ensure the radio is properly configured, additional instructions can be found in the video here: https://youtu.be/h8Rb500f8rw
• Provide feedback after the exercise by emailing info@socoalert.com or calling 707- 565-1369. Provide your location to help assess the range of the test alert.

To prepare for an emergency, register for alerts or find your evacuation zone, visit: www.socoemergency.org/get-ready/.

You can reach Staff Writer Kathleen Coates at kathleen.coates@pressdemocrat.com or 707-521-5209.