If anyone else believes the Emergency Warning System tests are inadequate, it would serve the public if you would advise the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. They get very little feedback, partly, I suppose, because people simply turn down, or off, the radio and ignore the poorly run tests. 

If you think your feedback won’t matter, think again. Remember what Margaret Meade said: “Never doubt that a small group of concerned citizens can change the world.”

The following is a copy of a letter I sent to mark.roberts@alaska.gov: 

Mr Roberts,

I’ll be brief. The test is a failure in my opinion.

1: No advisory of the upcoming test needlessly frightens people, and actually teaches the public to ignore such warnings in the future.

2: The audio is terrible; I could not discern if it was merely a test or for real. I heard the word tsunami, a reference to southeast Alaska, and a few town names that were mispronounced.

I’ve heard excuses claiming that it is all computerized, we can’t control the synthesized speech, difficulty coordinating the various parts of the test, etc. Balderdash! How can we have any faith in our government, or humankind for that matter, if we cannot even control this? Surely it would make more sense to have a real live person pick up a microphone and give a clear concise warning in the event of an emergency.

And as far as frightening people, please explain why every test cannot be preceded by the words “THE FOLLOWING IS A TEST.”

I heard this test on KBBI at about 10:15 a.m. March 25.

Respectfully submitted.

Michael Bavers