Depot alert radios may start going out today

This story was published Tue, May 2, 2000

By Mary Hopkin
Herald Oregon bureau

HERMISTON - Some South Hill residents in Umatilla could receive their tone alert radios as early as today, and full-scale distribution to Morrow and Umatilla counties should begin within two weeks.

The free radios are designed to alert people indoors about problems at the Umatilla Chemical Depot and will give safety instructions on what to do.

"Tone alert radios are the final critical piece of the Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program's alert and notification system," said David de Courey, Region 10 director for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. "(They) will augment CSEPP sirens, highway reader boards and the Emergency Alert System."

Radio distribution will start in the areas closest to the depot, then move out into the counties according to the risk level, said FEMA spokesman Jesse Seigal.

Those living in Umatilla County between the Morrow County line and the Army depot boundary east to the Umatilla city limits and the Umatilla River will be the first to receive radios, in addition to those living in Irrigon and people living east of Paterson Ferry Road to the Umatilla County line.

Seigal said most residents will be contacted by door-to-door installers in the evening as late as 9 p.m. Businesses can expect installers to come by during the day.

Installation takes an average of 20 to 30 minutes, he said.

"They'll have to find a location, make sure it's getting a signal and give instructions to residents on how to use the radios and who to call if it isn't working," Seigal said.

The radios work best when placed near a window, but they also must be near an electrical outlet. The radios are equipped with a rechargeable battery that acts as a backup when no electricity is available, Seigal said.

Installers from Radio Services Co. will wear special reflective vests and company identification badges. Residents should ask to be shown the badges, Seigal said.

"It's good to be cautious," he said.

The company also will provide residents with an informational pamphlet about the radios, printed in English and Spanish. Spanish translators are available.

People with hearing disabilities will receive strobe lights to notify them of a problem.

Seigal said some locations also may require special antennas for reception from the two transmitters, one north of Heppner and the other in Washington, on a butte north of the Columbia River.

If a special antenna is needed, installers may have to revisit the home, Seigal said.

Complete distribution of all 15,500 radios will take six to seven months, he added.

For more information about the radios or if you have questions about installation or the delivery schedule, call 800-307-7708.

 

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