[EAS] EAS monitoring sources

[Robertm]

I suppose that is a reference to Minot. The event happened at 2 AM, the local TV was off air and there was a major emergency management failure. When EMS does not have working EAS gear in place, EAS isn't going to happen. 

In major metro areas cameras are everywhere these days and media is quick to pick up events on their own. Even going back 15 years, 911 happened on TV before the city could activate it's command center which only survived a few hours since it was in 7 WTC which was destroyed when 1 WTC collapsed on it. 

This is not something limited to NYC. In my travels I see similar in LA, Chicago, Boston and other major metros. Unfortunately, I think in smaller markets the Minot effect will continue forever. A lot of emergency management is either back of mind or non-existent. 

I have been through this even in NYC. In the late 90s I was working with other DOEs to secure and build alternate transmission facilities. One of the managers on the committee said "why do you want to waste time and resources on this? The World Trade Center was already attacked in 1993. Do you REALLY think that will happen twice?"  Fortunately some stations were not that cynical as one radio station  on WTC had backup and the DOE there was outside taking a smoke break when he saw the event. He went up to studio and switched to his backup site.  The only TV with backup lost two technicians working on 1 WTC. Some of their last words were "turn on Empire".  

There are too many with the mindset that "it can't happen here" and are unprepared when it does. That is a human problem that can't be easily fixed. 


> On Aug 31, 2016, at 5:16 AM, Alan Alsobrook <radiotech at alsobrookelectronics.com> wrote:
> 
> When a train derails in small town USA and starts releasing the 
> proverbial methyethylreallybadstuff into the air, EAS could get an alert 
> out in 5-10 minutes, Media figure an hour or so (if anyone happens to be 
> in the news room or answers the phone), to start coverage.  This