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Harlan County Emergency Management recently announced a grant has been awarded aimed at providing weather radios to residents in areas prone to flooding.
According to Harlan County Emergency Management Director Stephen Lewis, the grant awarded was for approximately $10,000.
“Originally, it was for 200 radios,” Lewis said. “But, during the grant process the price dropped, and we were able to get 382 all together.”
Lewis said the grant was originally applied for under former Emergency Management Director David McGill. The price drop for the radios meant the distribution plan had to be updated.
“I’ve had to go back to his maps and add more places than were originally planned,” Lewis said.
The radios will be distributed to people who live in areas prone to flooding.
“We’re basically starting at the Letcher County line and coming all the way up Poor Fork to Dairy Queen,” Lewis said. “Also included in that was the Dayhoit trailer parks and Tremont trailer park since it constantly has flooding problems.”
Lewis explained the radios are Midland brand devices.
“It’s what the National Weather Service recommends,” Lewis said. “They will relay severe weather warnings, flood warnings and tornado warnings automatically. As soon as a warning is issued by the National Weather Service, it comes over the radios.”
The radios will sound an alarm when a warning is received.
“Hopefully, if people are asleep the alarm is loud enough to wake them up,” Lewis said. “If something’s happening in the middle of the night it will wake them up, so they’re not surprised by a sudden storm or flash flooding.”
Lewis noted the radios have built-in alarm clocks and feature a loud alarm that elderly individuals and those with some hearing loss should still be able to hear.
Lewis pointed out people may purchase their own weather radios if they wish.
“I think Amazon has these same exact radios,” Lewis said. “Last time I checked, they were around $30 each.”