[SBE] Fwd: [sbe-eas] EAS in American Samoa

[Richard Rudman]

Hi, Darryl and Group:

Darryl, please let me know what happens after you present this  
information.

I am copying Ralph Beaver, the incoming Chair of SBE's EAS Committee,  
and Clay Freinwald, the outgoing Chair.

Regards,

Richard

On Oct 6, 2009, at 2:35 PM, McGlothen, Darryl wrote:


> Richard,

>

> I have forwarded the contents of your message to the Chairman of the  

> Spokane County EAS Committee, Nels Nelson in advance of their  

> upcoming Committee Meeting. It is a sad state of affairs that,  

> unless someone is immediately impacted by a potential event, they  

> pay no heed to warnings to prepare. I hope we on the ‘mainland’ have  

> not become too complacent to learn a lesson from the ineffectiveness  

> of an ill-prepared establishment on the island state of American  

> Samoa. The rallying cry for those who recognize the pending danger  

> should be, “Remember – three little girls!”.

>

>

> Darryl McGlothen, CBNT

> KLEW-TV, Ch. 3-1

> Lewiston, ID

> Member, SBE Chapter 117

>

>

>

>

> From: sbe-bounces at sbe.org [mailto:sbe-bounces at sbe.org] On Behalf Of  

> Richard Rudman

> Sent: Tuesday, October 06, 2009 7:00 AM

> To: EAS Committee SBE

> Subject: [SBE] Fwd: [sbe-eas] EAS in American Samoa

>

> As some of us have said before, EAS works best when broadcasters and  

> local emergency management have a clear understanding of their  

> respective roles and work together.

> Goverment's Job One in emergency public information is to issue  

> timely and meaningful warnings for events that than put the public  

> at risk. Broadcasting's role is to disseminate said warnings.

>

> As we are learning more about what happened in American Samoa, it is  

> become more clear that one alert broadcaster did the right thing --  

> above and beyond what their emergency warning called for.  

> Commendable, but only goes to point out the source of many warning  

> failures  -- the legally mandated origination point.

>

> As you read what I have forwarded, there is also evidence that pleas  

> by that broadcaster to local government to better prepare fell on  

> apparently deaf ears.

>

> So, we have here:

>

> !. An example of a worst case disconnect between emergency  

> management and the broadcast community for EAS.

> 2. The best recent illustration I can think of for the lack of  

> understanding of the lifesaving role warnings can play during an  

> emergency by government.

>

> CAP can do a lot, but the discipline of emergency management must be  

> revised to start with warnings, not response.

>

> Richard Rudman

> Vice-Chair, CA SECC

>

>

>

> Begin forwarded message:

>

>

> From: Rich Parker <rparker at vpr.net>

> Date: October 6, 2009 9:06:16 AM EDT

> To: "SBE EAS Exchange - a mail list for discussion about the  

> Emergency Alert        System and other emergency communication  

> issues." <sbe-eas at sbe.org>

> Subject: [sbe-eas] EAS in American Samoa

> Reply-To: "SBE EAS Exchange - a mail list for discussion about the  

> Emergency      Alert System and other emergency communication  

> issues." <sbe-eas at sbe.org>

>

> Posting this for Kirk Harnack - I thought it might be interesting  

> for folks to read (and react?): (note that there was a question  

> raised about the length of the 'recorded voice message' - not sure  

> at this point what the explanation was ) - Larry Fuss is President  

> of South Seas Broadcasting, Kirk Harnack is owner/engineer.

>

> -rp

>

> -----Original Message-----

> From: Larry Fuss [mailto:larry at larryfuss.com]

> Sent: Sunday, October 04, 2009 11:57 AM

> To: larryfuss at lvcoxmail.com

> Subject: EAS

>

> It's not very often you see these two events on an EAS log:

>

> ****** EAS ALERT SENT BY KKHJ/FM  ******

> SENT      9/29/2009  7:13:46 WST

> BROADCAST STATION ALERT

> A EARTHQUAKE WARNING

> HAS BEEN ISSUED

> FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES:

>  Entire State  AS

> UNTIL  8:13 WST

> JULIAN DATE: 272 TIME:  7:13 WST

> ORIGINATING STATION: KKHJ/FM

> RECORDED VOICE MSG  1034.3 Seconds

> ********* EOM SENT BY KKHJ/FM  *********

> SENT      9/29/2009  7:14:54 WST

>

>

> ****** EAS ALERT SENT BY KKHJ/FM  ******

> SENT      9/29/2009  7:29:36 WST

> BROADCAST STATION ALERT

> A TSUNAMI WARNING

> HAS BEEN ISSUED

> FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES:

>  Entire State  AS

> UNTIL 10:59 WST

> JULIAN DATE: 272 TIME:  7:29 WST

> ORIGINATING STATION: KKHJ/FM

> RECORDED VOICE MSG     0.0 Seconds

> ********* EOM SENT BY KKHJ/FM  *********

> SENT      9/29/2009  7:31:30 WST

>

>

> I was able to determine that it was Joey who made the call to  

> activate EAS for a tsunami warning after the earthquake hit and  

> BEFORE there was any official notice of a tsunami warning.  He knew  

> what was about to happen and he acted on it, while the various  

> government officials who are supposed to be on top of these things  

> were standing around scratching their asses wondering what to do  

> next.  It was because of Joey's action that we managed to get off an  

> EAS alert and advise people to head for higher ground before the  

> tsunami hit.  Joey's action probably saved many lives!  It's too bad  

> we went off-air shortly thereafter and were unable to keep the  

> public aware of what was happening in the aftermath of the tsunami.   

> I do know that KNWJ relayed the warning immediately, and I assume  

> KULA did too.  However, I know damn well that KSBS did not because  

> they have never adhered to EAS protocol and have NEVER configured  

> their EAS gear in accordance with the EAS plan.  I might also add  

> that when Joey called the National Weather Service office and asked,  

> he was told that no tsunami warning had been issued!

>

> I heard a press conference the governor conducted on Friday in which  

> he and various other officials all stood around and patted  

> themselves on the back for the great job they were doing with  

> disaster recovery.  Not a single one of them mentioned KHJ and  

> thanked us for the role we played in saving lives. It was typical  

> political grandstanding.

>

> As I mentioned, we went off-air when the Satala power generating  

> station was swamped by the tsunami.  We lost power at Pago Plaza and  

> at our transmitter site on Mt. Alava.  That should never have  

> happened.  As the primary EAS station, we've been asking for  

> generators for years.  Just three months ago, Joey made a passionate  

> plea to Cinta Brown again and was essentially ignored.  Less than 6  

> weeks ago, Joey and I stood in the parking lot of Pago Plaza and I  

> described to him exactly how it was going to happen.  I told him how  

> the tsunami was going to sweep up the harbor, taking out the power  

> plant and the Pago Plaza generator.  I told him that we were  

> probably safe on the second floor, but that we needed a rooftop  

> generator to stay on-air. Terribly eerie, BUT IT HAPPENED EXACTLY AS  

> I DESCRIBED IT TO HIM ONLY SIX WEEKS AGO!

>

> We may never have another tsunami in our lifetime, but there's  

> always the danger of a devastating cyclone.  And need I remind you  

> that cyclone season is upon us in the south Pacific?  That being the  

> case, it's time to stop just paying lip service to disaster  

> preparedness.  Why does the primary EAS station not have  

> generators?  Why are there no warning sirens anywhere on the  

> island?  Why does the government-owned TV station not have any EAS  

> gear? Why does KSBS continue to ignore EAS requirements?  Why are  

> there so many government employees at TOHS, TEMCO, etc. who do  

> nothing more than push paper, play Solitaire, go to off-island  

> seminars, and drive their government-issued vehicles to the  

> McDonald's drive through and to church on Sunday?  I literally sat  

> down and cried when Joey told me they had pulled the bodies of three  

> little girls from the stream alongside Pago Plaza.  We all could  

> have done more to prevent something like this from happening, but  

> going to off-island seminars was of higher priority than buying  

> generators. Even one death is one too many.

>

> Having been through a devastating ice storm in Mississippi in '94,  

> I've

> instilled a sense of importance in my staff to take this stuff  

> seriously and they do.  Joey's actions illustrate that.  He saved  

> lives and deserves a

> medal!

>

> I'm sending this to practically everybody I know in the hope that  

> somebody will pick up this story and run with it.  I want to go  

> testify before Congress about the millions of dollars they sent to  

> American Samoa for disaster preparedness, yet most of it is wasted  

> by an inept territorial government and not spent where it would make  

> any significant difference.

>

> Please pass this e-mail along to anyone you think might help stir  

> the pot.

>

> I've been critical of how things were done in American Samoa before,  

> but

> this time I will not sit down and shut up.  I'm doing this for those  

> three little girls and their families and I don't care whose toes  

> get stepped on.

>

> My contact information is below (Las Vegas).

>

> Larry Fuss, President

> South Seas Broadcasting, Inc.

> KKHJ-FM / 93KHJ

> WVUV-FM / V103

> KKHJ-TV30 / Island Television (Cable 10)

> The Island Info Channel (TV13)

> PO Box 6758

> Pago Pago, American Samoa 96799

> Phone 684-633-7793

> Fax 684-633-4493

> larry at khjradio.com

> www.southseasbroadcasting.com

>

> Mainland address:

> 9408 Grand Gate Street

> Las Vegas, NV  89143

> Phone 702-898-4669

> Fax 208-567-6865

> Cell 702-328-4669

> larry at larryfuss.com

>

> -- 

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>

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