Fire Season Prep – Oakmont Residents Line Up for Emergency Radio Giveaway
They turned out by the hundreds Wednesday morning, eager residents lining up in Oakmont to take advantage of the city of Santa Rosa’s offer of free emergency radios.
The weather radios, through which emergency fire notifications can be broadcast, are being given out in four locations across the city of Santa Rosa in April and May.
As the region enters another critical fire season, the city considers the battery-operated NOAA radios a potentially important tool to get critical information to residents in the case of power failures and cell phone disruptions.
Santa Rosa received a $318 thousand FEMA grant to purchase the radios, and is kicking in another $100,000 in city funds to distribute 12,000 radios in all. Among those giving out radios on Wednesday was Santa Rosa mayor Chris Rogers.
The radios were being handed out to residents in the Oakmont area from 10AM to 3PM.
The city ultimately plans to do similar giveaways in three other locations, targeting 9 thousand households on Santa Rosa’s eastern side, bordering the urban wildland interface.
The city had planned to give away about 2,000 radios on Wednesday. Depending on the number of radios handed out, other giveaway events are tentatively scheduled for April 17th at Maria Carrillo High School, April 24th at Herbert Slater Middle School, and May 15th at Rincon Ridge Park.
Author: newsofthenorthbay
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