CORONA DEL MAR TODAY

City To Test Emergency Sirens

Newport Beach’s new outdoor emergency notification system has been installed and will be tested intermittently between Dec. 1 and 7, city officials said in a letter sent to residents.

“The system includes a total of three emergency sirens that are spaced such that the signal can be hear in West Newport, along the Balboa Peninsula, and at Big Corona Beach,” states the letter from Tara Finnigan, a city spokeswoman.

The systems were installed along the Balboa Peninsula and in West Newport, including near the entrance to West Jetty View Park and the Wedge, at Veterans Memorial Park at 15th Street and Bay Avenue; and at the handball courts in West Newport Park near 60th Street.

After the initial testing in this week and next, the system will be tested regularly at noon on the first Friday of each month beginning Jan. 7. The sirens will be tested at reduced levels of 60 to 100 decibels, and officials said not to worry if the sirens seem faint or you have trouble hearing them.

“When activated for actual emergency notifications, the sirens will sound at a much higher level of 130 decibels,” the letter states.

The sirens could be used in case of a tsunami or major earthquake. The city also uses the Emergency Alert System, part of a national public warning system that broadcasts in Orange County on 107.9 KWVE. The city also uses AlertOC, which notifies residents by phone, emails and text messages when officials need to make emergency notifications. Police, for example, used AlertOC in October 2009 while searching for three men believed to be planning an armed robbery in Fashion Island; read our story here.

Read more about Newport Beach’s possible tsunami dangers here.