Radios available through a grant partnership with the State of Tennessee
Putnam County Mayor Randy Porter was heartbroken when he discovered many people in the area had zero warning on March 3rd, 2020, when tornadoes touched down in the county, destroying lives in their wake.
He wanted to get more warning devices in the hands of people. So, he searched for grant opportunities, and it didn’t take long before he found one through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, administered by the State Emergency Management Agency.
It was a chance to fund the purchase of a large quantity of NOAA Weather Alert Radios, and Porter jumped at the opportunity.
“It was just heartbreaking to hear the stories after the tornado, and the people who said their phones didn’t go off to alert them. We have advertised for years that a NOAA Weather Alert Radio is something every family and business should have as part of their warning systems, but many people relied on cell phones, and nobody knew the cell network was already damaged by the storm before the Tornado Warning was issued,” explained Mayor Porter. “We wanted to find a way to get these important devices in as many homes as possible.”
On Saturday, March 2nd from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m those NOAA Weather radios will be distributed at the Putnam County Fairgrounds. It is a drive-thru event, and radios will be limited to one per home and is for Putnam County residents only.
For more information and to sign up for local emergency alerts, visit www.putnamcountytn.gov or call 931-528-7575.
Photo provided.
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