The Voice of Business and Community In Central New York

City of Norwich Emergency Management Office

          The City of Norwich and the National Weather Service today dedicated a new weather radio transmitter that will serve the residents of Chenango and adjoining counties. The new transmitter was made possible through a joint effort of the National Weather Service forecast office in Binghamton and the City of Norwich Emergency Management Office. Funding for the new transmitter was provided by United States Department of Agriculture Rural Utilities Service's Weather Radio Transmitter Grant program.
          "The weather service particularly appreciates the efforts of City Emergency Management Director A. Wesley Jones, who was successful in obtaining the grant money from the USDA for this project, and coordinating the activities that led to the completion of the project," said Dave Nicosia, the Warning Coordination Meteorologist at Binghamton.
          "The National Weather Service also would like to thank officials from Chenango County, the County 911 Working Group and the Fire Coordinators office who donated tower space for the transmitter and antenna," continued Nicosia.
          Jones noted that the grant also helped to fund approximately $13,000 worth of improvements to the Countys tower site. These improvements included new guy wires for tower stability, an air conditioning system and a new grounding system for all of the transmitters at the site.
          We are pleased we were able to do these items and save the taxpayers of Chenango County money, said Jones.
          The transmitter officially began broadcasting on Monday, August 26th and has completed a required 30-day testing period, and is now being operated and maintained by the National Weather Service.
          The new NOAA weather radio station KHC-49 is located on Barnes Hill, off Burdick-Medbury Road in the Town of Norwich. The station transmits on a frequency of 162.525 Mhz and serves Chenango and the adjoining counties of upstate New York. This transmitter joins the expanding NOAA weather radio network in upstate New York and is maintained by the National Weather Service in Binghamton. The Binghamton office currently operates a dozen of these radio transmitters in upstate New York and northeast Pennsylvania with plans for at least two more.
          NOAA weather radio is a nationwide network of radio transmitters devoted to broadcasting weather forecasts and warnings directly from the National Weather Service. The broadcast is a free public service and is available 24-hours-a-day, 365 days a year. Weather information from the NOAA weather radio network can be received on specially built NOAA Weather Radios which can be programmed to automatically warn listeners of severe weather such as thunderstorms, flash floods, tornadoes, blizzards, and other hazards. Weather radios can be purchased at most electronic stores or over the internet for between $20 and $50 in most cases.
          "With the new NOAA Weather Radio, people in their homes, schools, businesses, and other facilities can be warned automatically of threatening weather and take action to save lives and property," Jones said. "This is a valuable asset for the people of Norwich and Chenango County. We strongly believe that every household should have a NOAA Weather Radio with an audio tone alert feature just like a smoke detector.
          If a tornado warning is issued by the National Weather Service for Chenango County for example, KHC-49 would send warning tones out that will automatically trigger an audio alarm on NOAA weather radios, similar to a smoke detector activating. The audio alarm would be followed by information on where the tornado is headed and what you and your family should do to protect yourselves and your belongings.
     During times of fair weather, your NOAA weather radio gives you up-to-the-minute weather forecasts and current conditions tailored for Norwich, Chenango County and vicinity. This includes hourly updates of temperature and wind speed from the Lt. Warren E. Eaton Airport in Norwich.
          The transmitter uses the weather service's innovative SAME technology which enables listeners to automatically receive weather warnings for their particular area.
          "With the Specific Area Message capability, listeners can automatically get weather warnings for their county and not be bothered with warnings for other areas served by the transmitter" Nicosia explained.
          NOAA's National Weather Service is the primary source of weather data, forecasts and warnings for the United States and its territories. NOAA's National Weather Service operates the most advanced weather and flood warning and forecast system in the world, helping to protect lives and property and enhance the national economy.
          For more information on NOAA weather radio and the nationwide network of transmitters, check out the following web address: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr For local information on NOAA weather radio, go to http://www.nws.noaa.gov/er/bgm/nwr/nwrhome.html

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