Margate has installed an early warning alarm system.
MARGATE - If you hear strange sounds and voices coming from the sky next Wednesday, don't fret about it. It's just the city testing its Emergency Alert System.
According to Emergency Management Coordinator Chuck LaBarre, the city will conduct a test of the system at noon on Wednesday, June 8.
The test consists of three emergency alert tones followed by voice instructions. The sounds will emanate from three speakers located at the top of poles at the city's two fire stations and the Sigmund Rimm Athletic Complex on Jerome Avenue. The alerts will last for about three minutes with a pre-recorded message approved by the Federal Communication Commission.
The emergency alert system is a far-reaching way to alert residents in the event of impending danger from storms, flooding or other public safety crisis.
The warning system, which was implemented last year, is a resiliency measure that can increase Margate's score in the National Flood Insurance Program's Community Rating System, which provides residents with discounts on the cost of flood insurance.
Residents in close proximity to the speakers may find the announcements to be loud, but the benefits of the early warning system outweigh the occasional inconvenience, officials said.
