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Emergency Management
Warning System
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Disasters such as
wildfires, tornadoes, or major chemical releases can occur with little or
no warning. You may have only a
short time to decide, on actions to take to avoid serious injury or
death. Even though difficult to
predict, precautions can be taken to minimize dangerous situations.
One of the most important
things you can do is to be aware that a danger is present. Most of the
injuries and deaths that occur during a disaster happen to people who are
unaware or uninformed. For this reason, it is crucial that you understand
the City of Hobbs’
warning system.
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The City of Hobbs Warning System
The City
of Hobbs
warning system is much more than a system of Outdoor Sirens. The sirens are important, but they are
just one component of a much larger system. There is a great deal of
communication and coordination taking place behind the scenes before the
sirens are ever sounded. The City of Hobbs’ ability to
provide warnings is a result of partnerships with the National Weather
Service, local emergency response agencies, and major industries. It is
also the result of dedicated Emergency Management and 911 Emergency Call Center staff as
well as trained volunteer storm spotters and Ham Radio operators. These
groups all work together to make up an integrated system of hazard
prediction, detection, and warning dissemination. These all are vital
components of our warning system.
The City of Hobbs takes an
"all-hazards" approach to public warning. This means that we
use the same decision-making structure and alerting methods, regardless of
the disaster. Severe weather is our most common threat, but it is not the
only one we face. A wildfire or major air-borne hazardous material
release, for example, could cause a significant threat to public safety.
Incidents of this type may necessitate activation of any one of a number
of components of the system, including outdoor sirens.
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Severe Weather Watches and Warnings
Typically,
the National
Weather Service is responsible for issuing all severe weather
alerts. The National Weather Service, when issuing severe weather alerts,
uses the terms "Watch" and "Warning." Knowing the
difference between a "Watch" and a "Warning" is very
important.
When conditions are
favorable for severe weather to develop, the National Weather Service
will issue a "Watch." When severe weather watches are issued,
you should be alert for changes in the weather and be prepared to act
quickly.
National Weather
Service meteorologists use information from weather radar as well as a
network of trained spotters to issue severe weather warnings. A
"Warning" means that severe weather is actually occurring or is
imminent. For example, a Tornado Warning means that the National Weather
Service's Doppler radar is detecting a storm that is capable of producing
a tornado. Tornado Warnings are also issued if trained spotters or law
enforcement officers have actually sighted a tornado or other specific
indicators of a tornado. You should take immediate steps to protect
yourself when a "Warning" of any type is issued.
When severe weather
approaches, The City of Hobbs’ 911 Center and Emergency Management
staff is in communication with storm spotters in the field and
forecasters at the National
Weather Service office in Midland, Texas. When issued, severe weather
"Watches" and "Warnings" are broadcast over the NOAA
Weather Radio station serving Lea
County
and passed to local radio and television stations. The information is
also relayed to The City of Hobbs public safety officials who are
responsible for activating local warning systems.
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City of Hobbs ’ Warning System Choices . . . You Decide
The City
of Hobbs
uses a combination of methods for alerting the public when disaster
threatens. We recognize that no one application can provide warning to
all citizens. As a result, we take a systematic approach, understanding
the advantages and disadvantages of each component. Some of these
alerting methods, such as outdoor PA/Sirens, are owned and operated by
the City of Hobbs .
Others, such as NOAA Weather Radio or local broadcast media are not
controlled by the City, but cooperate in broadcasting warning
information. Only you can decide which of these methods of receiving
warning information works best for you and your family. Here is a summary
of the available options.
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Outdoor Public Address/Sirens
There
are 21 outdoor warning PA/Sirens in the City of Hobbs
’ siren system. The City is responsible for testing and
warning activation of all of the sirens in the system. Audible test on the public address and siren tone are conducted on the first Wednesday of each month unless weather or other conditions would warrant cancellation. The primary
activation point of the city sirens is in the 911
Emergency
Call Center
located at the Hobbs Police Department, with backup capabilities in the City Emergency Operations Center and
handheld units. While tornado warnings are the most common cause for
siren activation, the sirens should not be considered to be "tornado
sirens." They are intended as an "all-hazards" alerting
system and may be activated for any type of emergency situation. The
sounding of the sirens does not necessarily mean that a Tornado Warning
has been issued. In fact, it means only that an emergency event has
occurred or is about to occur and you may need to take action to protect
yourself. If you hear a siren or public address announcement, you should
immediately seek additional information through local radio and
television stations. Do not call
911 for information. This can
cause delayed responses to actual emergencies. In all cases, the siren warning signal is a three minute steady
blast. There will be no
all clear signal sounded on the siren system.
The PA/Sirens are
designed to alert individuals who are outdoors. They are not intended to
alert people who are in cars, homes, or other buildings. Hearing sirens
or public address announcements indoors may have been possible in the
past; however, this should no longer be expected. The noise level of
electrical and electronic devices competes with outdoor sounds. Energy
conservation practices and better insulation have effectively reduced the
sound penetration into these areas. In addition many homes and businesses
are air-conditioned. Very few buildings have open windows in the summer
when it is hot and humid – the very time when severe weather is
most likely to occur.
There are a number of
factors that affect the range of the siren. First of these is sound
output. Very simply, some sirens are designed to be louder than others. A
louder siren will have a greater range.
Atmospheric
conditions also affect siren range. Wind speed and direction, air
stability, and relative humidity all affect the distance that the sound
will travel. Your ability to hear the siren will change as these
conditions change. It is very possible that from your location, in some
cases you will be able to hear the siren, while in other cases, you
won't.
Topography and background
noise levels will also have an affect on your ability to hear the sirens.
Hills, trees, and buildings can be barriers that block the sound. High
background noise levels from highways or industrial areas can mask the
sound of the siren. These conditions will effectively limit the warning
range of the siren.
The warning sirens
will operate in the event of a power loss, but can be disabled by a
direct lightning strike or electronic malfunctions. Even with these
limitations, sirens can be a very affective source of warning, if you are
outdoors and within range of the siren or public address
announcement. You can click on the view a map link to see siren and
lightning warning horn locations and coverage under ideal conditions.
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Lightning Warning
There
are lightning warning devices
located at most major outdoor recreation facilities. These devices are designed to measure
the potential for lightning within a 2.5 mile radius of the sensor units.
A 15 second air horn
blast is sounded when a sensor unit measures a critical level of
electrical activity. This
indicates that a lightning strike is likely within the sensor’s
location. These warning devices
should be used only as an aid in suspension of outdoor activities.
Facility guidelines and common sense should prevail in the event that the
units fail to operate correctly. The all clear signal is three 5 second
air horn blasts but officials should continue to monitor conditions.
Please do not call 911 to report soundings or for
information.
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Radio
Scanner
A radio
scanner programmed to receive emergency broadcasts can be an option for
receiving warning information. The following frequencies can be monitored
for this purpose:
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NOAA
Weather Radio – Maljamar , NM
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162.400
MHz
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NOAA
Weather Radio – Seminole, TX
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162.425
MHz
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Amateur
Radio West Texas
Connection Repeater "Skywarn" Network
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146.780
MHz
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By monitoring NOAA
Weather Radio or Skywarn, you can receive weather alert messages the
instant they are issued. Local alerts may not be broadcasted over all of
these channels. The West Texas
Connection is used by trained weather spotters who are also licensed
amateur radio operators. They use
this network to communicate with each other in the field and talk
directly to the National Weather Service in Midland Texas. This network is used by all spotters that
are serviced by the National Weather Service Office in Midland, TX.
You can also receive situation reports and other valuable information by
monitoring local public safety radio channels, such as EMS , fire, and police on 800 MHz
trunking scanners
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NOAA Weather Radio
Citizens
of the City of Hobbs
can take advantage of the National Weather
Service's 24-hour weather broadcast system. NOAA Weather Radio in Maljamar, NM
broadcasts on a frequency of 162,400 MHz or Seminole, TX which broadcasts
on 162.425 MHz. The National Weather Service broadcasts continuous
weather information 24 hours per day. When conditions warrant, the
Weather Service can interrupt programming to broadcast special weather
statements and official severe weather "Watches" and
"Warnings". In fact, local governments in Lea County rely
heavily on information supplied by NOAA Weather Radio as a basis for
mobilizing volunteer weather spotters and activating locally controlled
components of the warning system.
We strongly encourage
you to purchase a Weather Alert Radio
so that you can receive warning information directly from the National
Weather Service. The weather radio system is the most timely, most
reliable, and most credible source of weather warning information
currently available.
A weather alert radio
is a small, desktop or portable radio that works a little bit like a
pager. The radio is normally muted and quiet, but can be activated by a
special code transmitted by the National Weather Service. Once activated,
most weather radios will sound an alerting tone to get your attention and
even wake you up if you are sleeping. You will then receive a message
describing the situation, directly from the source of the warning.
By special
arrangement, NOAA Weather Radio in Midland TX can broadcasts warnings for
all types of hazards, both natural (such as severe weather) and man-made
(such as an evacuation resulting from a toxic chemical release), making
the weather radio a true, all-hazards warning device.
Weather radios are
now available utilizing Specific Area Message Encoding
or "SAME" technology. With SAME technology, the
weather radio can be programmed to receive and display alerts and
warnings that apply only to Lea
County.
With a SAME weather radio, you can avoid hearing warnings for areas that
do not concern you.
Most weather radios
are equipped with battery backup, enabling you to receive warning
information even if the power is out. In addition, individuals with hearing
impairment can also get these warnings by connecting a weather radio to
other types of attention-getting devices such as strobe lights, pagers,
bed-shakers, personal computers, and text printers.
Weather alert radios
are available at local electronics stores as well as from a large number
of sources on the Internet. Depending on features, a weather radio can
cost anywhere from $20.00 to $65.00.
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Emergency Alert System
The
Emergency Alert System (EAS), adopted in 1997 is the successor to the old
Emergency Broadcast System (EBS). The Emergency Alert System is composed
of AM, FM, and television broadcast stations as well as cable television,
operating in cooperation with local authorities to provide uniform and
consistent information in an emergency. Participation in the local
Emergency Alert System is voluntary, however most local stations have
agreed to broadcast local emergency alerts if requested:
Other local
broadcasters can pick up the message from any of these sources and
rebroadcast it at their discretion. You can recognize an EAS message from
the distinctive tone that begins each broadcast. The announcer will also
identify the broadcast as an activation of the Emergency Alert System.
In an emergency, you
should stay tuned to participating EAS stations to receive emergency
warnings and situation updates. In addition, commercial receivers are
available to receive EAS warnings directly. The complexity of these
devices varies, with some being simple monitors of one EAS source to
other units that can be set to monitor multiple sources. A number of EAS
monitors are designed to be connected to external alerting devices,
electronic message boards, and building public address systems. Most EAS
monitors are relatively expensive and are designed for commercial use.
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Broadcast Television and Radio
In
addition to participating in the Emergency Alert System, broadcast
television and radio stations are a vital component of our warning
system. Cable interrupt can be used to broadcast voice warning messages on US
Cable channels in the Hobbs
area and channel 15 is available to broadcast
additional text messages issued by the Hobbs Police Department. Local television and radio stations
routinely broadcast official "Watches" and "Warnings"
issued by the National Weather Service as well as forecasts and storm
tracks developed by on-air meteorologists. Television, in particular, is
an excellent source of emergency information since graphics such as radar
displays and maps can be used to describe the event in detail.
Broadcast television
and radio, while being an excellent source of information, have one major
disadvantage as a means of receiving warning. Your radio or television
has to be on and you have to be able to hear it or see it. If the TV or
radio is not on or you are in another room, you will probably miss the
warning. A normal TV or radio will not wake you up in the middle of the
night to inform you that a tornado warning has been issued. For this
reason, you should not rely on broadcast television or radio as your sole
source of emergency warning.
Satellite radio and television are not a good source for local
emergency warnings.
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Internet
The
Internet offers a nearly inexhaustible source of information concerning storm
warnings and severe weather forecasting. Please be aware that Internet
sources of warning are not as dependable as the other systems referenced
in this document. Information received from sources on the Internet is
subject to delays and may not arrive soon enough to provide an adequate
warning. In addition, your ability to receive information through the
Internet requires the operation of numerous systems, some of which are
completely beyond our control. The Internet should be considered as an
additional source of information and should not be considered as the
primary source of emergency warning for life-threatening events.
The private
marketplace offers a wide variety of warning services, primarily
weather-related on a fee-for-service basis.
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Warning System Recommendations
The
warning system can only be effective if you understand the benefits and
limitations of the alerting methods available. There are a great deal of
warning devices and methods available to you. We recommend that you take
advantage of as many of them as possible. No one warning method is
perfect and no one warning method can be guaranteed never to fail. By
relying on one single method, such as the sounding of the sirens or the
receiving information solely from broadcast meteorologists, you risk
missing a warning if that system fails. By taking a systematic approach
and getting information from more than one source, you are much more
likely to receive the warning, even if there is a failure in one of the
components.
We strongly recommend
that you consider the following:
- Purchase a weather alert
radio if you don't already have one.
- Subscribe to a wireless
email alerting system if you carry an alphanumeric pager, digital
cellular phone or personal digital assistant.
- Rely on the sirens only
for outdoor warning.
- Turn to broadcast radio
or television for details and follow-up information.
- Use your senses and seek
shelter anytime hazardous weather approaches
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Contact Information
City
of Hobbs Emergency Management Coordinator
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[City of Hobbs Home Page] [Emergency Management]
Date
Updated: October 23, 2006
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