Maine Emergency Notification System (ENS)

Maine's deaf and hard of hearing residents can now receive alerts about any emergency in Maine sent out by the Maine Emergency Management Agency (MEMA).
Alerts include:
You will automatically receive Emergency Alert System (EAS) notices. (These are the same alerts that interrupt TV shows.) EAS alerts are the most serious emergency alerts and must be sent out statewide to all counties. EAS alerts include:

• Tornado Warning
• Flash Flood Warning
• Severe Thunderstorm Warning
• Special Marine Warning
• Civil Emergency Message
• Child Abduction Emergency

You can choose to receive the following alerts by COUNTY:

• National Weather Service Alerts
  o The National Weather Service (NWS) provides weather, hydrologic, and climate forecasts and warnings for the United States, its territories, adjacent waters and ocean areas, for the protection of life.
  
• Department of Public Safety
  o The Department of Public Safety serves the people by protecting their lives, rights, and properties. This is accomplished through criminal justice, law enforcement, fire safety, emergency response services, and E-911.
  
• Department of Transportation
  o The MaineDOT is responsible for the State's highways and bridges, airports and aeronautics, ports and marine activity, including the State Ferry Service; railroads, public transportation, as well as bicycle and pedestrian facilities.
  
• Maine Turnpike Authority
  o The Authority's primary function is to operate and maintain a toll express highway serving Maine, and providing the link between the Maine Department of Transportation and the rest of the United States and Eastern Canada.
  
• Bureau of Health (will be added in the future)
  o The Bureau of Health's mission is to develop and deliver services to preserve, protect and promote the health and well-being of the citizens of Maine. Within the Department of Health and Human Services, the Bureau of Health has responsibility for public health issues and concerns.

This new program allows Maine's D/deaf and hard of hearing citizens to use their own equipment or receive equipment from Maine Center on Deafness (MCD). Depending on your income the equipment is either free or available at a reduced cost.

MCD can provide:

• One-way pagers by Northeast paging
  · This device allows individuals to receive text messages, but not to send text messages.
  · This pager WILL NOT RECEIVE NEW MESSAGES, if the device is TURNED OFF
  · This pager WILL NOT RECEIVE MESSAGES OUTSIDE OF THE RECEPTION AREA
  · For $5 a month users can buy additional services for their pager - including a phone number or email address to share with family and friends.

• Stationary Emergency Weather Alert radio with LCD screen
  · This stationary unit allows individuals to receive emergency weather alerts on a digital screen, and has vibration or strobe alert options.
  
  
• Two-way 'Ogo' pagers by Cingular
  · This device allows individuals to send and receive instant text messages, emails, and make TTY/relay calls with Hamilton Internet Relay by having an AOL IM screen name.
  · This pager WILL NOT RECEIVE MESSAGES OUTSIDE OF THE RECEPTION AREA
  · Monthly Fee - INDIVIDUALS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MONTHLY SERVICE FEE of $17.99 a month for unlimited email. Individuals MUST have a credit card or debit card to use Ogo. Your credit or debit card will be entered into your devise one time and will automatically charge you $17.99 EVERY MONTH.

Things to know about the program:

• FREE EQUIPMENT IS YOUR RESPOSIBILITY
• MCD WILL NOT REPLACE STOLEN, LOST, DAMAGED, OR BROKEN PAGER FOR AT LEAST THREE (3) YEARS
• IF PAGERS ARE STOLEN, LOST, DAMAGED, OR BROKEN, MCD WILL PROVIDE YOU WITH A NOAA EMERGENCY ALERT STATIONARY RADIO ONLY
• YOU MUST SIGN THE "TERMS AND AGREEMENT" FORM THAT STATES YOU UNDERSTAND THE RULES AND LIMITATIONS OF THE EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM.
• ADDITIONAL SERVICES* ON EQUIPMENT MUST BE PURCHASED BY THE INDIVIDUAL USER NOT MCD. *Additional services such as insurance, a pager number, or Ogo monthly service including text messaging.
  

How to join the program:

• Contact MCD office or MCD website for an application:
  o Alerts Only
  o Equipment and Alerts
  o Terms and Agreement
• Be sure ALL APPLICATIONS ARE FILLED OUT COMPLETELY AND
• Provide proof of hearing loss
• Provide proof of total income

If you already have a pager and just want to receive the emergency alerts, fill out the "Alert Only (no equipment)" form and send it back to MCD to start receiving alerts immediately.

For more information about the Emergency Alert System:

• Attend ASL News in Bangor (2nd Tuesday of the month)
• Attend ASL News in Portland (4th Thursday of the month)
• Call MCD to set up and appointment 207-797-7656 or 1-800-639-3884 v/tty
• Email EAlert@MCDMaine.org for more information

• Application for Equipment as a (PDF file) as a word document
• Alerts Only, No Equipment as a (PDF file) as a word document
• Rules and Terms of Agreement (PDF file) as a word document

[please download either the PDF files OR the word documents, you don't need both. Also, the documents will open in a new browser window, this one will remain open.]