GHS/OCD to Conduct Test of Alert Beacons; No Action Required from Community

The Offices of Guam Homeland Security and Civil Defense (GHS/OCD) will conduct an initial test of twenty-one (21) out of fifty (50) recently installed Alert Beacons on Thursday, December 2, 2021 from 3 p.m. – 4 p.m.

The Alert Beacon serves as an in-building emergency notification system for large facilities such as campuses. The fifty Alert Beacons were procured under GHS/OCD’s Emergency Preparedness Grant Program in an effort to expand alerts and warnings capability and improve delivery of actionable guidance in the event of an emergency.

The Alert Beacon test on December 2 will be a visual test only, and will include the following verbiage, which will have a glow on the screen:

“This is a TEST of the Alertus Emergency notification system. NO ACTION IS NEEDED. In a real emergency, this message will contain important alert information.”

There will be no other alerts to the public for this test. GHS/OCD has worked directly with the facility recipients to provide notice of the test. The following is a list of Alert Beacon sites:

1	Adacao Elementary School	18	GHS/OCD	35	Mayor's Council of Guam
2	Agana Heights Elementary School	19	Governor's Office	36	Merizo Mayor's Office
3	Agana Heights Mayor's Office	20	GPA	37	Mongmong-Toto-Maite Mayor's Office
4	Agat Mayor's Office	21	H.S. Truman Elementary School	38	Ocean View Middle School
5	Agueda Johnston Middle School	22	Inarajan Elementary School	39	Okkodo High School
6	Astumbo Elementary School	23	Inarajan Mayor's Office	40	Ordot Chalan Pago Elementary School
7	Astumbo Middle School	24	Inarajan Middle School	41	Simon Sanchez High School
8	B.P. Carbullido Elementary School	25	J. Q. San Miguel Elementary School	42	Sinajana Mayor's Office
9	Barrigada Mayor's Office	26	J.M.Guerrero Elementary School	43	Southern High School
10	C.L. Taitano Elementary School	27	John F. Kennedy High School	44	Tamuning-Tumon-Harmon Mayor's Office
11	Central Success Academy	28	Jose L.G. Rios Middle School	45	Taolofofo Elementary School
12	Chief Brodie Elementary School	29	L.B. Johnson Elementary School	46	Tiyan High School
13	D.L. Perez Elementary School	30	L.P. Untalan Middle School	47	Umatac Mayor's Office
14	Dededo Mayor's Office	31	Liguan Elementary School	48	UOG
15	F.B. Leon Guerrero Middle School	32	M. A. Ulloa Elementary School	49	Vicente Benavente Middle School
16	Finegayan Elementary School	33	Machananao Elementary School	50	Yona Mayor's Office
17	George Washington High School	34	Mangilao Mayor's Office

Only the Alert Beacons will be utilized for the test on December 2. In the event of a real emergency, GHS/OCD would utilize multiple forms of mass communication to inform the public including the All Hazards Alert Warning System (AHAWS) sirens, the Emergency Alert System (EAS) through television and radio, local media, SMS breaking news alerts through local media and telecommunication companies, mass notification email, social media, website, and various emergency responders. GHS/OCD continues to work toward the enhancement of emergency notification capabilities, to include placement of systems in different locations in the future.

Future tests of the Alert Beacons will be announced at a later date, once a schedule is determined.

To learn more about the Alert Beacon, visit https://www.alertus.com/alertbeacon.

For more information, contact GHS/OCD Public Information Officer Jenna G. Blas at (671) 489-2540 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.