Program Name
Washington
Coast NOAA Weather Radio Station Mt. Octopus/Forks
Administering Agency
State
and Local Tsunami Working Group (Grays Harbor Emergency Management)
Contact Person (Name/Title)
Karen
Frinell Hanrahan, Deputy Director
Address
PO
Box 630, Montesano, WA 98563
Telephone Number
360-249-3911
Fax Number
360-249-3805
The
NOAA Weather Radio Station at Mt. Octopus/Forks purpose is to provide timely
warning and notification to residents, visitors, and Agency officials of any
hazards, including tsunami, that occur along the Washington Coast.
Before
the NOAA Weather Radio Station at Mt. Octopus/Forks, weather radio coverage
was spotty to nonexistent along the coast.
Agency officials and residents had no official method to receive
warning and notification. Emergency
Management and local first responders were concerned with the lack of
warning methods for tsunamis and coastal flooding.
Taking an existing program, NOAA’s Weather Radio, we developed a
plan to enhance NOAA Weather Radio coverage to all of the Washington Coast
and increase the warning or notification for distant source tsunamis and
other coastal hazards to the local agencies, residents and visitors.
This system was developed because there are currently no sirens along
the Washington Coast to notify residents to evacuate or go to higher ground.
NOAA
Weather Radio has been used for weather notification, but it has not been
utilized as the primary warning for distant source tsunamis.
The addition of the tower on Mt. Octopus increased the utility of
NOAA Weather Radio and increased the coverage of the entire network.
After
the Mt. Octopus/Forks site went on the air, National Weather Service,
county, city and tribal nation staff have tested the site in various
locations. Where there was no
coverage for the Quinault Nation, they now receive the signal loud and clear
in both villages, Taholah and Queets. The
Washington Coast is receiving a clear signal both inside and outside of
buildings. The target areas are
now receiving clear Weather Radio signals from the Seattle Office of the
National Weather Service for all coastal hazards.
Through
the vision and cooperation of federal, state, county and city agencies along
with private partners, we have developed a weather radio station that
provides warning notification to not only our residents, but also to the 1.3
million visitors we receive each year in Grays Harbor County. This is not to mention the countless others that visit
Pacific and Jefferson Counties.
The
Mt. Octopus/Forks NOAA Weather Radio site enhances and provides Emergency
Alert System (EAS) coverage for Jefferson, Clallam, and Grays Harbor County
broadcasters.
This program also allows for further outreach and
systems to augment warning and notification through public education and
lays the foundation for future partnerships.
