It wasn’t planned that a test of the city’s warning system would coincide with a freak hailstorm, but booming audio evacuation announcements for a tsunami, hurricanes and other disasters blaring in Indian Harbour Beach on March 27 added to the movie-set quality during a surreal weather event.
The warnings, each with the phrase “this is just a test,” came about when a Miami-based contractor was completing scheduled repairs called for during an Oct. 30 live action drill. Videos of confusion about the announcements popped up immediately on social media, some with the storm raging.
Since 2005, Indian Harbour Beach has been certified as “Tsunami Ready” by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for its preparedness involving the public address system and sirens to enable the evacuation of people east of State Road A1A to the west side of the highway – 300 feet from the average high tide line.
“We had a lot of calls on it with a lot of them people who just caught a part of the announcement or heard the sirens. With that and the storm it was a busy day,’’ said Indian Harbour Beach Police Chief David Butler.
Students at Ocean Breeze Elementary School could hear the sirens and messages coming from the tower at the Indian Harbour Beach Fire Station on Pinetree Drive, but teachers and school staff quickly explained that the scary-sounding announcements were only a test.
The repairs estimated at $1,300 were completed and the system is operational. It is worthwhile, not only in the unlikely event of a tsunami hitting the area, but also to help provide information about hurricane evacuations or other public disasters.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for our city to have (this certification). It makes sure our alert systems are in place if there is an evacuation. We have had the system, but we added the warnings for tsunamis,’’ he said.
