All Hazards Alert Warning System sirens to sound off during the Great Guam ShakeOut

In three days, Guam will take part in the world’s largest earthquake drill, the Great ShakeOut. On Thursday, October 18, 2018 at exactly 10:18 a.m. (ChST), participants are encouraged to practice the earthquake response procedure “Drop, Cover and Hold On” as advised by the Great ShakeOut organization. The drill will last for one minute.

The Offices of Guam Homeland Security and Civil Defense (GHS/OCD), in support of the Great Guam ShakeOut, island-wide earthquake drill, will sound off fifteen (15) of the All Hazards Alert Warning Systems throughout low-lying areas across the island on Thursday, October 18, 2018 at 10:18 a.m.
Residents, visitors and motorists surrounding the AHAWS sirens can expect to hear pre-scripted voice messaging announcing the start and end of the test, and ten-seconds of the “Alert” tone heard here: http://www.whelen.com/mass/audio/Euro%20Tones%20Wav%20Files/Alert.wav.
The October 18 test of the AHAWS sirens is separate from the pre-scheduled monthly test. Future tests of the AHAWS sirens will continue to be conducted on a monthly basis and will typically fall on the first Tuesday of each month.
The following are a list of AHAWS siren sites to be sounded during the Great Guam ShakeOut:
1.      GHS/OCD facility, Agana Heights
2.      Agat Marina
3.      JFK High School
4.      Talofofo Elementary School
5.      Asan Mayor's Office
6.      Pago Bay A-Frame South End
7.      Inarajan Elementary School
8.      Yona Mayor's Office
9.      Ft. Soledad, Umatac
10.  GWA Pump Station, Merizo
11.  Ija Agricultural Station, Inarajan
12.  Port Authority of Guam
13.  Agat Senior Citizen's Center
14.  Hotel Nikko Guam
15.  Tamuning Mayor’s Office
To participate in this year’s ShakeOut, residents can register online at http://www.shakeout.org/guam/ or call (671) 475-9600. The ShakeOut website provides drill manuals, tips on earthquake safety and other resources for developing a disaster plan. Residents may register as an individual, family, school, business, or other group and are encouraged to share photos of their ShakeOut experience on the Great Guam ShakeOut website.

Island residents will join over 20 million ShakeOut participants from across the world including CNMI, the continental United States, Hawaii, British Columbia, Puerto Rico, Southern Italy, Japan, and other regions.

For more information, contact Public Information Officer, Jenna G. Blas at (671) 478-0208 or via email at jenna.g.blas@ghs.guam.gov.

X Flooding is a temporary overflowing of water onto land that is normally dry. Flooding may happen with only a few inches of water, or it may cover a house to the rooftop. There are many possible causes of floods including heavy rain, coastal storms and storm surge, waterway overflow from being blocked with debris, or overflow of levees, dams, or waste water systems. Flooding can occur slowly over many days or happen very quickly with little or no warning, called flash floods.

To learn more, visit https://www.ready.gov/floods

Wildfire

Regularly clean the roof and gutters.
Maintain an area approximately 30’ away from you home that is free of anything that will burn, such as wood piles, dried leaves, newspapers and other brush.
Connect garden hoses long enough to reach any area of the home and fill garbage cans, tubs, or other large containers with water.
Review your homeowner's insurance policy and also prepare/update a list of your home's contents.

Fire Weather

Turn on your TV/radio. You’ll get the latest weather updates and emergency instructions.
Know where to go. If you are ordered to evacuate, know the route to take and have plan of where you will go. Check-in with your friends and family.
Keep your car fueled, in good condition, and stocked with emergency supplies and a change of clothes.

Drought

Conserve water

Take shorter showers.

Turn off the water while brushing your teeth or shaving.
Run the washer less frequently and only when you have a full load.
Water your lawn less frequently and do so when the temperature is cooler in the early morning or late evening.
When you run the tap to heat or cool water, keep a pitcher to store the water and use it to water plants.
Avoid washing your car.

Practice fire prevention

Don't set off fireworks when conditions are dry.
Deposit cigarette butts in the proper receptacle to avoid starting a
Pour water over camp fires and backyard fire pits to ensure they are completely out before leaving them unattended.

Follow directions from local officials. If there are restrictions on water usage, be sure to heed them.

To learn more, visit https://www.ready.gov/wildfires and https://www.ready.gov/drought

X
Typhoons/Hurricanes are massive storm systems that form over the water and move toward land. Threats from typhoons/hurricanes include high winds, heavy rainfall, storm surge, coastal and inland flooding, and rip currents.

“Hurricanes” form in the Atlantic Northeast Pacific region and “Typhoons” form in the Northwest Pacific Region. These large storms are call cyclones in other parts of the world.

To learn more, visit https://www.ready.gov/hurricanes.