[warn-news] News update about Tuesdays' KY tornado drill- use of "TOR" on EAS

[Steve Lewis]

 From KY Emergency Management:

Tomorrow the National Weather Service will trigger a Emergency Alert 
System (EAS) warning message, using a "live" tornado code. On Feb 25th, 
the  Federal Communications Commission (FCC) granted a waiver for the 
use of a "live" Tornado Warning code for Kentucky's statewide Tornado 
Drill on the Emergency Alert System (EAS), scheduled for Tuesday, March 
2, 2010 at 10:07 a.m. EDT / 9:07 a.m. CDT.

The waiver allows commercial broadcasters serving the Commonwealth of
Kentucky to relay the National Weather Service's Tornado Warning drill 
with the same codes that would be used for a real tornado occurrence. A 
concern is that some may not hear the term "TEST" and be unaware it is 
only a drill.

The test message itself will start and conclude with "THIS IS A TEST, 
THIS IS ONLY A TEST".

Due to the importance of the alerting the public beforehand, and late
approval from the FCC, I am asking your assistance..., please to forward 
this message and press release to all of your contacts and ask them to 
do the same.

If you have received this information more than once, please overlook, 
as we are attempting to notify as many users as possible.

Thanks for your help!


Buddy Rogers
KYEM Public Information Officer
100 Minuteman Parkway, Suite 104
Frankfort, Kentucky 40601

Ofc. Tel. No. 502-607-1611
Cell Tel. No. 502-382-6006
e-mail: buddy.rogers1 at us.army.mil