NOAA WEATHER RADIOS ON THE WAY TO PUBLIC SCHOOLS...

In the coming weeks, NOAA Weather radios will begin arriving at more than 97,000 (nearly all) public schools across America as part of a joint project between the Departments of Commerce, Department of Education, and Department of Homeland Security. A letter to school principals will be mailed with each radio. The state Citizen Corps volunteers are available to assist schools in programming their weather radios. An instruction manual also will be shipped with each radio to support schools on how to program the FIPS/SAME codes. Similar instructions are part of Citizen Corps training materials. A list of all of the FIPS/SAME codes within the Charleston Weather Forecast Office area of responsibility is available at the following link http://www.erh.noaa.gov/rlx/nwr/samecodes.html

This year's distribution will also include the six states that currently mandate public schools to have weather radios - those being Washington, Tennessee, N orth Carolina, Maryland, Florida, and Mississippi. Public schools in the United States Territories are also included in this distribution.

Areas not included in this year's distribution are those that were part of the pilot program last year, which includes the state of Kentucky.

Copies of the literature mailed with the radios including programming instructions, letter from the Secretaries, and program brochure. Online copies may be obtained online at:
http://public-alert-radio.nws.noaa.gov..

Upon receipt of the radio, it must be registered at the following link:

Next fiscal year, NOAA Weather radios will be delivered to all private schools.