As recent rain events have shown, a little rain can go a long way in Timberline and other Coconino County neighborhoods affected last year by the Schultz Flood.
That’s why the County is offering a free NOAA weather alert radio to residents in areas prone to flooding. The NOAA weather alert radio emits an alert signal upon the National Weather System issuing a flash-flood warning, watch or advisory affecting the area.
The use of Ready Coconino, the emergency notification system that provides emergency alerts to Coconino County residents by telephone, for flash flood warnings in Timberline, Doney Park or other areas affected by the Schultz Flood will be reduced.
Ready Coconino was used to warn people of impending or actual flooding in the Schultz Flood area last year, but it took approximately 35 minutes for an emergency message to be delivered to those residents. Flash flooding that occurred last year was very rapid and reached homes within 15 minutes of the National Weather Service (NWS) issuing a flash-flood warning.
“Ready Coconino is still in place and can contact 35,000 citizens throughout the county but other forms of communication, such as NOAA weather radios, have proven to be more expeditious in response to flooding,” Mandy Metzger, Coconino County Board of Supervisors chair, said. “Residents need to quickly get accurate information to make the best decision for their life and property.”
The County is making NOAA radios available at no cost to Schultz Flood area residents. The radios are available at the:
- Coconino County Administrative Center
219 E. Cherry Ave.
Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
- Coconino County Public Works Department
5600 E. Commerce Ave.
Monday through Friday 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Other ways of staying informed include:
- Monitoring the NWS website for radar and issued warnings at www.wrh.noaa.gov/fgz/;
- Enabling Internet-capable wireless devices to receive NWS feeds at www.srh.noaa.gov/cte.htm;
- Following Coconino County’s Web pages: coconino.az.gov/, twitter.com/coconinocounty, andwww.facebook.com/CoconinoCounty;
- Watching the county flood website at www.coconino.az.gov/schultzfloodinformation.aspx.
- Calling the county flood hotline at (928) 679-8390.
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