Case Study: Hurricanes

Withstanding Sandy

Information Radio Plays Key Role during Hurricane

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MANASQUAN, NJ: Hurricane Sandy slammed ashore south of this New Jersey coastal community on October 29. Ninety MPH winds pushed a wall of water into flood-prone Manasquan, causing massive flooding. Emergency Manager Chris Tucker tapped his Information Radio Station on AM 1620 to be the solitary source to keep residents apprised, with the anticipation that “data and internet connections might be compromised.” They were. Additionally, his station’s antenna system encountered enormous winds and was engulfed by 3 feet of storm surge. It kept working. The station’s battery backup – occasionally charged via generator – powered the station continuously through the storm.

Manasquan operates an ALERT AM Emergency Advisory Radio System with a hurricane wind rated antenna system, designed to withstand gusts of up to 150mph. Several Flashing ALERT Signs are positioned on local roads to alert motorists.

Eighty miles downshore near Sandy’s landfall, Police Chief Robert Matteucci of North Wildwood, NJ, utilized his 1640 signal to protect life and property. The signal remained on the air throughout the storm. The broadcast, which was simulcast to the Internet, advised residents how to find assistance and provided emergency numbers for electric and gas companies. The internet stream was monitored by more than 1000 people in nine states, some as far away as California. Internet listeners to North Wildwood’s stream logged more than 14,400 minutes the day Sandy made landfall.

Manasquan’s and North Wildwood’s Information Radio Stations comprise but 2 of more than 40 stations installed in NJ in the past 10 years to protect citizens' lives/property in a disaster.

At North Plainfield, NJ, operator Rich Phoenix comments, “Only radio stations and battery or crank-powered receivers will survive [during a disaster]. Local information is king; and the TIS stations are top of the heap.”

Published by The Source newsletter, January 2021. Shutterstock Photo

A Streaming Success

Info Radio Stations Increasingly Simulcast on Internet

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NORTH PLAINFIELD, NJ: At the oceanfront community of North Wildwood, New Jersey, Police Chief Robert Matteucci depended upon his station to keep residents current during Hurricane Sandy. Matteucci comments, “Streaming allows people who live out of reach of the radio station to listen…at home or on handheld options. We feel that during a storm, people in fringe areas will have a clearer message over the computer than over the air. Additionally, out-of-town family members can check local conditions.”

The Houston area community of Missouri City, Texas, made their 1690 kHz Information Radio programming available online recently, as well as, on their municipal cable TV outlet during emergencies. Emergency Manager Robert Bracken states, “We are heavily promoting it through news releases, our TV channel and our homeowner association outreach.”

See how one community presents Information Radio on its website: North Wildwood, NJ. And the surrounding county of Fort Bend, will soon be online with a stream of their 1670 kHz signal, as well. Visit the StreamCAST Service webpage.

Published by The Source newsletter, October 2012. Shutterstock Photo.