Published On: Wednesday Jan. 9, 2008

Osceola County, Florida –Osceola County Office of Emergency Management will be giving away a limited number of NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) Weather Radios to Osceola County’s deaf and hearing-impaired residents the week of January 14 -18, 2008. The radios come with alerting strobe lights designed specifically for deaf and hearing impaired persons.

The radios will be distributed at the Osceola County Emergency Operations Center, located at 320 North Beaumont Avenue, Kissimmee, FL 34741, according to the following schedule:

• Monday, Jan. 14, 2008 9 a.m. – Noon (ASL interpreter available)
• Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2008 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.
• Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2008 9 a.m. – Noon
• Thursday, Jan. 17, 2008 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.
• Friday, Jan. 18, 2008 9 a.m. – Noon

Office of Emergency Management staff will be available to demonstrate the features of the radio, and an ASL (American Sign Language) interpreter will be available on Monday, January 14, 2008, from 9:00 a.m. to noon.

"We’re pleased to provide this service to our residents," said Osceola County Emergency Management Director Dave Casto. "Weather radios can be an effective tool to warn of impending weather; however, it’s important to remember they are only one of many resources that should be used to stay informed during a weather event."

The NOAA Weather Radios are provided through the State of Florida Division of Emergency Management, which allocated a number of radios to respective counties for distribution to county resident households. To learn more about weather alert radios, please visit www.weather.gov/nwr.

For more information, contact the Osceola County Public Information Office at 407-742-0100.

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"Keep Osceola Beautiful"