FLAGSTAFF — The City of Flagstaff (City) and the Coconino County Flood Control District (District), with significant financial support from the AZ Depart. of Forestry and Fire Management, have begun installing a siren alerting system to help warn residents of imminent flooding in neighborhoods downstream of the Museum Fire burn scar. Four elevated high power speaker arrays will be installed throughout the Grandview Homes and Sunnyside neighborhoods and will emit alarm sounds and voice messages when rain thresholds are triggered within the Museum Fire burn scar.
The installation of the elevated speakers will continue throughout May. Testing, training, and public awareness of the siren alerting system will take place at various times throughout the month of June. When specified rainfall thresholds are met, the siren alerting system will emit an alarm sound, followed by a voice message repeated three times in both English and Spanish, concluding with a wind down siren sound signifying the end of that message.
The following specific protocol will be used during a rain event in the area:
| Threshold | Criteria | Action |
| Threshold 1 | Activated by 0.25 inches of rainfall in 15 minutes as measured by rain gauges throughout the Museum Fire burn scar. | The Flood Director will alert the Emergency Operations Center, City and District officials and activate personnel to monitor drainages and water flows. No emergency notification alerts will be sent, and the siren alerting system will not be activated. |
| Threshold 2 | Activated by 0.40 inches of rainfall in 15 minutes as measured by rain gauges throughout the Museum Fire burn scar. | An Emergency Notification Alert will be issued only for the Mt. Elden Estates neighborhood. A text message with the alert will be sent to cell phones registered to addresses in the area through the Emergency Notifications database. The siren alerting system will be activated, and the alert will also be posted to City and District social media channels. |
| Threshold 3 | Activated by 0.75 inches of rainfall in 15 minutes as measured by rain gauges throughout the Museum Fire burn scar. | An Emergency Notification Alert will be issued for the Mt Elden Estates, Paradise, Grandview Homes and Sunnyside neighborhoods. A text message with the alert will be sent to cell phones registered to addresses in these areas through the Emergency Notifications database. The siren alerting system will be activated, and the alert will also be posted to City and District social media channels. |
When residents receive the Emergency Notification Alert text message (free and confidential signup at coconino.az.gov/ready) or hear the siren alerting system, they should immediately follow all safety instructions. Children should never play in drainages.
To hear the siren sounds that will be used by the Museum Flood area siren alert system, please visit museumfloodprojects.com/sirensystem.
For questions related to the Museum Fire flood area siren alerting system, please contact Sam Beckett, City of Flagstaff Streets Section Director at Samuel.Beckett@flagstaffaz.gov.