FORT BENNING, Ga., (Sept. 17, 2014) -- The Atlantic hurricane season officially reached its peak Sept. 10 and Fort Benning Emergency Management officials said the installation is prepared for any threat of storms through its National Weather Service StormReady designation and several implemented warning systems.
The National Weather Service in Peachtree City, Georgia, certified Fort Benning as a StormReady installation in July 2013. In order to be considered StormReady, a community must establish a 24-hour warning point and emergency operations center, have more than one way to receive severe weather warnings and forecasts, have more than one way to alert the public, create a system that monitors weather conditions locally, promote the independence of public readiness through community seminars and develop a formal hazardous weather plan that includes training severe weather spotters and holding emergency exercises.
Terry Wydra, Fort Benning installation emergency manager, said in addition to having StormReady certification, multiple systems are used to reach the community in the event of a potential emergency. A mass warning notification system was launched in December to allow Common Access Card users with a ".mil" email account to register and receive emergency and weather notifications. The MWN system provides alerts to registered users through computer desktop popups, emails, telephone calls and text messages.
"If we have an emergency on the installation, this is our way to communicate to the population on what's going on," Wydra said. "We have the ability from our office to send out warning messages that can go to your computer desktop and until you acknowledge the message you can't continue to use your computer."
Additionally, Fort Benning has 18 "Giant Voice" warning systems placed throughout the installation to alert the major population of impending severe weather or serious incidents. However, Wydra said the voice system is primarily used for warnings that can be heard outside.
"To augment these systems, we stress that everyone purchase a NOAA weather radio so they all interlock together," he said. "When you're inside, they make a loud noise that is especially important to wake up you up in the middle of the night."
Radios can be purchased at many retail outlets such as electronics, department, sporting goods, and boat and marine accessory stores and their catalogs as well as online. Wydra said batteries should be purchased for the radio in case of a power outage, checked often and changed twice a year, similar to smoke detector batteries.
Social Sharing