by Mindy Aguon

Guam - Brand new sirens that were supposed to be installed in the island's villages for tsunami alerts continue to sit idle in boxes. The sirens have been untouched for seven years and were intended to be used a secondary emergency notification system for the island.

Guam Homeland Security adviser Ambrosio Constantino says the process to get them installed is underway but an issue must first be addressed with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, adding, "We had the bid process go on with the private contractors and one of the issues that came up is the bid was higher than what we had initially had forecasted or was granted to us."

GHS is now waiting for grant approval and once the funding is identified, a bidder will be selected. Constantino says the sirens are in pristine condition. Before installation, there will be an environmental hazards process, village outreach and coordination with the Mayors Council of Guam.