New radio weather station airs in area

By TOM KANE

DELAWARE RIVER VALLEY — A new weather radio station is now on the air in the river valley.

The station, a unit of the U.S. Weather Service, can be added to a scanner used by fire fighter and emergency groups at a frequency of 162.5. Weather broadcasts are free and available 24-hours a day, 365 days of the year.

Residents of Wayne, Pike and Sullivan Counties can also purchase a stand-alone National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) radio receiver at any electronics store.

“They usually sell for around $50,” said Glenn Gunusky of the Wayne County Emergency Center. “A unit like this might be used by a boater who needs to know about emergencies that might affect him on the water, or by people who are isolated,” Gunusky said.

On scanners, even if the radio weather channel is not actively on, the new radio station will automatically come on in emergencies like a flash flood, a tornado, a blizzard or an emergency roadway closure that will affect a large part of the population.

“Take, for instance, if there’s an accident with an oil truck that turns over on a major highway closing it. We can alert drivers,” Gunusky said.

The new station is located in Beach Lake, PA and will share tower space on the Wayne County tower located there.

“I’ve been a fire fighter for 36 years and I can see how a service like this can be a big help to emergency people,” he said.