Special weather alert system for deaf sought

MANILA, Philippines – A weather bureau official yesterday urged disaster managers and radio and television station owners in the country to establish a system that would help provide timely, critical warnings of life threatening events to the deaf and those with difficulty in hearing.

Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) weather branch chief Nathaniel Cruz issued the call in line with the celebration of National Deaf Awareness Week.

Cruz said owners of broadcast stations and disaster officials must think of a way to provide deaf persons with special weather forecasts.

“Truly empowering is television’s potential to provide special weather updates and advisories for the deaf community,” he said.

This can be made possible in some instances by sign language through an interpreter in an insert on the screen, he explained.

Cruz said that in the United States, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has the NOAA Weather Radio (NWR) to alert the deaf and those with difficulty in hearing about the weather.

He lamented that the government has no capability to acquire such instruments because of its limited budget.

“What we can only do is provide them with weather forecasts,” Cruz told The STAR. – Helen Flores