Crime & Safety

LBPD Tests Non-Electrical Emergency Communication System

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Joseph Kellard, Patch StaffVerified Patch Staff Badge

Long Beach Police Department tested a new non-electronic emergency communication system to prepare for another major Hurricane Sandy-like storm or other disaster on Thursday night.

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The Neighborhood Emergency Team Program conducted a drill of the alert system throughout the city that relies, not on electricity but rather block coordinators who go from door to door to give residents updates in the event that power lines and cell towers are downed during a storm, according to News 12.

The test had residents stand outside their homes holding blue candles in order for a police helicopter overhead to count the number of powerless residents. LBPD Commissioner Michael Tangney explained the system:

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“A neighborhood coordinator is someone that handles five blocks. They, in turn, give information to the block coordinators who actually walk around the block, contacting every resident, to giving them an update on what we’ve got going on, what we expect them to do, and what we’re asking them to do.”

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