Telephone Alert System
|
Telephone Alert System |
Thurston County Emergency Management offers a
telephone alert system to give river flood plain residents information on
impending floods.
How it works
Emergency Operations Center (EOC) staff records a
brief message onto a computer, then the computer is activated to call
subscribers.
Subscribers only receive notices regarding the
river that threatens their area. We
can provide notices regarding the Chehalis, Deschutes, Nisqually and
Skookumchuck rivers.
If you have an answering machine, our message
will play after your recorder's prompt tone. If there is no answer on your phone line after
about eight rings, the system will hang up and call the next number on the list.
After at least 15 minutes, it will try again, then a third time if
necessary.
When are notifications sent?
The system will only be activated when, in the
opinion of county emergency management staff, a level of warning above and
beyond that provided by the National Weather Service and the media is needed to
recommend residents take action to protect life or property.
Limitations you need to know about
Several add-on telephone features interfere with
receipt of emergency notifications. Can
your phone receive our emergency notifications? explains these
limitations.
Each resident must be responsible for their own
safety by being aware of threatening situations and keeping informed of weather
and flooding events.
The telephone alert system cannot substitute for listening to NOAA Weather Radio and other media alerts. And although Thurston County will make its best effort to activate the telephone alert system with appropriate warnings, we cannot guarantee that we can communicate all hazards to floodplain residents.