Winchester chimes will be heard at noon today in Clallam and Jefferson counties during a test of the tsunami siren system.
The North Olympic Peninsula counties will join Grays Harbor and Pacific counties in testing the Washington State All Hazard Alert Broadcast Siren system.
Those who are outside and within 4,000 feet of the sirens will hear 10 seconds of chimes, followed by a voice saying the sound was only a test.
“If you are outside and hear the chimes, use that sound as a cue to look around your surroundings,” said Jamie Wisecup, program coordinator for the emergency management unit of the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office.
“Make a conscience decision to identify what pathway you would take to get to higher ground from where you are standing on the beach.
“Emergency Management is also asking people to use this testing time to think about one more thing you could do this month to be even better prepared for a natural disaster,” Wisecup added.
Another type of alerting technology system will follow on Wednesday at noon when a notification test can be heard inside buildings on NOAA All Hazard Alert Weather radios.
This voice-only test of the alert NOAA radios will be conducted throughout the state.
In Jefferson County, sirens are at three sites in Port Townsend — the Port Townsend marina, Point Hudson and Fort Worden — and on the Hoh reservation on the West End.
In Clallam County, sirens are at Diamond Point, Dungeness Fire Station, Four Seasons Ranch, Marine Drive in Port Angeles, Lower Elwha Klallam Community Center, Clallam Bay, the Quileute A-Ka-Lat Community Center in LaPush and two sites in Neah Bay.
During a real event, both the sirens and NOAA All Hazard Alert Weather radios would sound a warning message.
The testing of the sirens and radio systems is a key component of the Lower Elwha Klallam tribe’s and Jefferson and Clallam counties’ Tsunami Ready program.
The Jefferson County Department of Emergency Management urges residents to purchase a NOAA weather radio for use in emergencies.
The department will program the radio for free.
For more information, phone the department at 360-385-9368.
Clallam County residents who want to let officials know where they were when they heard the test can phone Wisecup at 360-417-2525.
For more information, visit www.emd.wa.gov, www.clallam.net/EmergencyManagement or www.jeffcoeoc.org.
