VENTURA : City Will Test New Warning Siren
Residents near the Ventura Harbor, the Ventura Keys and Pierpont Bay will hear the blare of a siren next week as the city of Ventura tests the latest addition to its emergency warning system. The siren, installed last month on Harbor Boulevard, is one of 10 that the city uses to notify residents of an emergency.
The city has relied on sirens for several decades, using earlier versions during World War II, said Barry Simmons, information officer for the city’s Fire Department.
If the sirens go off during an actual disaster, residents should tune their radios to emergency broadcasting stations for information, Simmons said.
Simmons said the area is in particular need of a warning system because of its location. An earthquake along an ocean fault line could produce a wave powerful enough to travel a mile inland, he said.
Attached to poles 20 to 30 feet off the ground, the sirens are powered by electrical motors and operated by radio control. They are regularly tested the first Friday of each month at 10 a.m. But this month’s testing of the Harbor Boulevard siren will be between 1 and 4 p.m. Monday.
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