Oct. 17, 2008
Q: I am writing today to ask that a better system for getting out news/information to families be implemented. This is not my first tour overseas. However, I must say this is my first time feeling so disconnected from what is going on around me. I live in Ikego, not on Yokosuka base, I am not privileged to the same information being released there. Unfortunately, we cannot pickup Eagle 810 radio at all here in my particular unit and very rarely in my car until I reach Yokosuka. Channel 12 is a wonderful idea, if it could get the “technical difficulties” resolved. As the Navy strongly encourages people, I try to stay informed of my surroundings and alert to current news events, weather alerts, etc. Wives of deployed service members, such as myself, rely heavily on the base/security to keep us informed of any pending inclement weather. I cannot speak of the warning systems in Yokosuka, as I do not live there, but in Ikego those warning systems are severely lacking! We have a board updating our Tropical Cyclone Condition of Readiness (TCCOR) status that is never updated, even when in TCCOR II. All over the base in Yokosuka they also have flags posting weather conditions, but I have yet to see any here. Channel 12 was running that information until it went down and the CFAY Web site is rarely current. The Seahawk is also useful but the information is usually from the previous week. Please tell me what resources are available to me and others like me that I am possibly unaware of.

A: The information provided to the whole CFAY community, to include Negishi and Ikego housing detachments, is the same and provided via Channel 12, the Seahawk and the Web site (www.cfay.navy.mil). During the last inclement weather period, CFAY Channel 12 was operational and not experiencing any technical difficulty. Storm information and TCCOR updates were relayed until the storm passed. Additionally, information on storms and sever weather can be found on the Weather Channel 13.

And then came along http://www.yokosukabase.com