Is Safety Being Compromised

NOAA Emergency Alert Radio New York broadcast
has issues. Could in impact safety? 

By Mark E. Ruquet

Is a technical problem with NOAA Radio compromising the safety of New York City residents?

Last Saturday I attended the launch of New York State's Civilian Preparedness Training. A lot of good information and advice came out of it--and I plan to write a little something more about it later this week. However, one important early warning system mentioned during the session was the warning signal issued by the National Weather Service to radios equipped with weather alert. 

I have one of those radios, and I think it is great. Something everyone near the coast should have, especially when the weather is threatening. The Weather Channel and Accuweather are great tools, but nothing beats having the alarm and non-commercialized information.

However, if you're looking for the official forecast when there isn't an emergency, you will be hard pressed to find it outside of the Internet. The reason? Since last year, the New York City forecast has been silent except for emergencies because the radio signal interferes with the Coast Guard's Emergency Signal.

NOAA has a memo on its website explaining that despite the fact the two government services broadcast on separate frequencies that do not appear to be close to one another, there is interference. The Coast Guard broadcast is at 156.800 MHZ. NOAA's New York signal goes out on 162.550 MHZ. The memo is dated Dec. 15, 2013. When I check periodically, the broadcast still appear to be spotty (there was a broadcast early Tuesday morning).

NOAA says in its memo, "NOAA weather radio will be placed in operation to broadcast short fuse life threatening weather watches and warnings." There are broadcasts made as part of the Emergency Alert System. 

Many people may not be concerned with NOAA's weather radio operation--with easy access to information with TV, cell phone apps or computers. However, to be honest, there is nothing like the reliability of a good old portable radio. More people should have NOAA alert radios as part of their emergency preparedness kit; but we also need a reliable broadcast system.