Residents Urged to Prepare for Winter Weather
ALERT FM Receivers available for purchase
Barnwell, South Carolina- December 1, 2010- Barnwell County Emergency Management director Roger Riley is urging residents to begin to prepare for winter weather (including thunderstorms, tornados, snow, ice, and freezing temperatures) that might occur in the coming months.
“Although many people do not consider December and January as severe weather months, changing temperatures and cooler weather can bring on a variety of weather threats,” Riley said. “Residents need to go ahead and prepare for these threats that might occur.”
There are several tips that residents can follow to prepare for severe weather. They include developing an emergency plan, having a disaster supply kit, practicing drills, and knowing your location in relation to the impending storm.
At the beginning of this year, the county purchased and began using ALERT FM as a means of notifying schools, business, and residents of impending severe weather conditions and emergency instructions. ALERT FM receivers are small, light weight, and easy to program. They can be purchased for less than $40 with no recurring usage fees from Computer Solutions Barnwell Inc./ Radio Shack or www.alertfm.com.
“ALERT FM is essential means of communication during winter weather. It allows residents to get National Weather Service warnings and up-to-date information directly from the county,” said Jim Lowery, General Manager of Global Security Systems, LLC (manufacturer of ALERT FM).
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About ALERT FM
ALERT FM is owned and operated by Global Security Systems, LLC (GSS) of Jackson, Miss. It is a personal alert and messaging system that enables state and local government and private sector officials to create and send emergency information to targeted recipients. Potential information includes severe weather warnings, homeland security notices, hurricane evacuation instructions, utility notices, plant or school closings, employee notifications and traffic alerts. First responders, school officials, citizens, and businesses can receive this information based on geographic or organizational groupings through specially designed ALERT FM receivers or any device equipped with a standard FM chip. ALERT FM has been implemented at the university, state, county and multi-county levels. More than 40 million people in 14 states have access to ALERT FM technology.
Barnwell AFM winter weather press release.pdf (65.67 kb)