georgia preppers, GEMA has scheduled broadcasts starting news years eve...greenspun.com : LUSENET : TimeBomb 2000 (Y2000) : One Thread |
...here is story, forwarding by email to me, from AJC site:Technology
Radio Y2K: GEMA will air New Year's Eve updates ByClint Williams, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Hoping to spread the good news of no news, the Georgia Emergency Management Agency will broadcast Y2K updates beginning New Year's Eve.
GEMA will use the statewide radio network operated by the National Weather Service to provide listeners with news on the impact of the so-called Y2K bug. Many people are concerned that power outages, communications system failures and other problems ma occur when computers programmed to read just the last two digits of the year malfunction. A computer may interpret the digits "00" as 1900, and some fear this couldcause computer-operated systems to shut down or gohaywire.
If things go as smoothly as expected and there are no major failures, people need to know that, said Buzz Weiss, GEMA spokesman. "The absence of news can be misconstrued," Weiss said,adding that regular updates "can provide a certain level of public confidence (and) comfort." And, if something does go wrong, the network can beused to quickly alert people who may be at risk, he said. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationWeather Radio system broadcasts statewide to the many homes that have weather radios, Weiss said. Using the system, which can broadcast information around theclock, will allow GEMA to reach many homes with one source.
No schedule of broadcasts has been set yet, Weiss said, adding that GEMA access to the network will depend on weather conditions. "If there isn't any severe weather we should have plenty of time available to let people know what is going on," Weiss said. The first of approximately 14 additional weather radio transmitters was dedicated Friday in Brunswick. The transmitter will provide coverage for Glynn County,Camden County and portions of Brantley and McIntoshcounties in southeast Georgia.
The transmitters providing coverage to another 30 ruralcounties scattered across the state should be operating by next spring, Weiss said. The sites for the transmitters have been selected and the money for their purchase is available, he said.
The expansion of the weather radio broadcast system comes after tornadoes ravaged North Georgia in March1998.
In metro Atlanta, anyone within 40 miles of Stone Mountain, site of the Atlanta transmitter, can receive warnings from the NOAA Weather Radio system.
Some weather radios feature Specific Area Message Encoding. Radios with SAME technology can be programmed to sound an alarm only when the National Weather Service issues a tornado warning or otherbulletin the radio operator chooses, for a specific county.
--ya, i know, might be propoganda, then again, might be the real stuff they broadcast--i'll be listening, anyway....
-- zog (zzoggy@yahoo.com), November 14, 1999
Zog...I thought it was a given that Atlanta was toast! Taz
-- Taz (Taz@aol.com), November 14, 1999.
Taz, yes, i think most of metro 'lanta will be rather 'parched and dry", but a lot of the areas of the state can get these broadcasts, and supposedly they have back up power. personally, I'm gonna need about 16 ears to listen to all the stuff i want to then..........
-- zog (zzoggy@yahoo.com), November 14, 1999.
There are still AM frequencies reserved for civil defense. These vary according to your area. You can still get a list of them from the FCC web site.
-- Forrest Covington (theforrest@mindspring.com), November 15, 1999.
What could they possibly broadcast that would be of any practical use at that date?"Well, with five minutes to midnight, all is looking... ah, hang on, the lights are going out all over the state. Oh, and there goes the food distribution network. Pop! That was a bank! Gee, I guess you'd better all think about stocking up now..."
I don't see it somehow.
-- Colin MacDonald (roborogerborg@yahoo.com), November 15, 1999.
colin--intel is intel, you analyse it and act accordingly. you have to put the pieces together, sift through what you hear from "official' sources, quasi official sources like the mass media, what's on the scanner, what's on the shortwave, what's on local CB radio, and what you get on the net or by telephone, if that's available. collect- analyse-act. A SURVIVALIST is both pro-active and re-active in emergencies. And for that you need constantly updated data, for one. It's more complex than that, but I think that this answers your specific question, at least I hope so. This whole deal is a "mindset". I've been into this since 62-63, and it's a job, but once you get the "mindset" it gets easier. OK-here-just FORGET about y2k. Now, just think Water-Food-Shelter-Security. Write it down. Now, try to figure out, should the "normal" ways of having and keeping these four things go away, how would you deal with it. Do it for a week theoretically. a week is a minimum, the three days deal is for people who have no right to have childen, my opinion... figure it out for you, all circumstances are different, what works in one area won't work in another, etc. Now, bump up that theoretical time frame in your mind from a week to a month to three months to a year to forever. get it? don't prepare for y2k, just get a "Survivalist Mindset" and keep it forever. You'll be an asset to your community, and you'll be able to weather most any 'storm' that comes your way. it works. zoggus p.s. is this helpful at all? to anyone? if not, I'll lay off, no problemskis
-- zog (zzoggy@yahoo.com), November 15, 1999.
"Technological emergencies"Earlier this year, I was able to get a hold of what's described on the box it came in as an "All Hazards/Weather Emergency Alert Monitor." Here's more info from the back of the box:
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U.S. Emergency Alert System
The Emergency Alert System (EAS) provides the only system of national and local government broadcasts for messages affecting public health and safety. EAS broadcasts may include warnings about weather and technological emergencies, including tornadoes and earthquakes, toxic chemical spills, radiation emergencies, explosions and fires, and other disasters that require immediate public notification.
NOAA Weather Radio
NOAA Weather Radio broadcasts 24-hour local weather forecasts, weather-related travel conditions, and warnings about imminent severe weather. Emergency Alert System broadcasts were added on January 1, 1997 to this existing National Weather Service radio system operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a division of the U.S. Commerce Department.----------------------------------------------------------------------
The manufacturer as a sales pitch also included this quote on the box:
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"Special emphasis will be placed on getting these radios installed in every home, just like a smoke detector, and in all schools, hospitals and other public gathering places. It'll give people the kind of information they need to safeguard themselves and their homes during a disaster."
-Vice President Al Gore, speaking in support of the new Emergency Alert/NOAA Weather Radio System.
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I did find a link to a brief article about Georgia's rollover broadcasts:
[snip]
Y2K Updates To Be Broadcast - (ATLANTA) -- The Georgia Emergency Management Agency says it plans to broadcast Y-Two-K updates starting on New Year's Eve. The move is meant to calm public fears about any possible problems resulting from the Y-Two-K computer bug.
[snip]
-- Linkmeister (link@librarian.edu), November 16, 1999.