South Bend, Washington – The Pacific County Emergency Management Agency (PCEMA) was notified at 4:00 a.m. this morning that a newly installed All Hazard Alert Broadcast (AHAB) siren located at the intersection of Seabreeze Avenue and Warrenton Cannery Road in Grayland accidentally activated, broadcasting the siren tone for several minutes.  This particular siren was powered up for the first time Wednesday, December 2^nd in the afternoon, in anticipation of the monthly test on Monday, December 7^th.  The incident was reported to Washington State Emergency Management, the owner and manager of the siren system.  The cause of the activation remains unknown and is under investigation. 

 

The next AHAB siren system monthly test will be Monday, December 7th at noon.  It is recommended that residents of Pacific County mark their calendars for the monthly AHAB siren system test.  The test is currently scheduled for the first Monday of every month at noon. 

The current procedure for the monthly test is for the sirens to sound the Westminster Chimes for 10 seconds followed by a 15 second verbal message stating “The following is a test of the siren warning system.  It is only a test.  This is a test of the siren warning system.  If this had been a real emergency you should tune your radio to your local radio station or listen to this system for further instructions.  This was only a test.”

 

In actual events, the AHAB sirens will sound a constant tone for three continuous minutes, and may be followed by a verbal message.  Both the Westminster chimes and the actual warning tone can be heard by visiting the PCEMA website at www.co.pacific.wa.us/pcema and clicking on the Tsunami tab.

 

There are currently ten AHAB sirens installed along the Long Beach Peninsula located in the areas of Ilwaco, Seaview, Long Beach, Surfside, and Ocean Park; one AHAB siren is located in Bay Center; and two additional sirens are installed in Grayland.  Sirens are not designed to be heard indoors and the sound may also be impacted by adverse weather.  Residents are encouraged to have alternate methods of warning such as NOAA weather radios, which are tested weekly and can be heard indoors.  Residents with questions or concerns may contact the PCEMA office at (360) 875-9340 or (360) 642-9340.