Replacement batteries have been mailed to county residents who have an emergency planning tone-alert weather radio from the Oswego County Emergency Management Office. Patricia Egan, director of the Oswego County Emergency Management Office, said that replacement batteries are mailed to residents on an annual basis to ensure proper operation of these radios.
The tone-alert weather radios are provided to homes within the 10-mile Emergency Planning Zone surrounding the nuclear power plants that are out of hearing range of emergency sirens. The radios are part of the Oswego County Radiological Emergency Preparedness Plan’s prompt notification system and are the property of Oswego County.
The battery distribution is part of the on-going maintenance program sponsored by the Emergency Management Office in conjunction with the Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station, a division of Constellation Energy, and Entergy Nuclear to allow for prompt notification of the public during an emergency.
Any resident who has a tone-alert weather radio and has not received a new battery by March 31 should contact the Emergency Management Office at 591-9150.
Letters have been mailed to residents of the Emergency Planning Zone who are eligible to receive a free radio but who have not been issued one. “If you’ve received the letter and would like a tone-alert radio, please call our office,†Egan said. “If you either have a radio issued by our office or do not wish to receive one, please fill out and return the form included with the letter to us.â€Â
Egan emphasized that, upon hearing either the siren or tone-alert radio signal, people should tune their AM/FM radio or television to an Emergency Alert System station for further information and instructions. EAS stations are listed in 2010 Public Emergency Response Information Calendar; the yellow pages of the telephone book; on posters placed in public areas; and on the EMO page on the county Web site.
Sirens are tested quarterly and a full-scale simultaneous activation of all sirens takes place once a year. The tone alert radios are tested every Wednesday, generally between 11 a.m. and noon.
Residents receiving a new battery are reminded that batteries are recyclable in Oswego County. Used batteries can be taken to the Oswego County recycling drop-off centers in Oswego, Volney, Hannibal, Pulaski and Hastings.
Any resident who has a question concerning any aspect of emergency planning may call the Emergency Management Office at 591-9150 or 1-800-962-2792. More information on emergency planning can be found in the 2010 Public Emergency Response Information Calendar, which can be downloaded from the county Web site at www.oswegocounty.com/emo
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