On November 4th, Louisville was devastated by a plane crash at 5:20 PM in the evening. That same day, WXOX radio was alarmed by the lack of response from their Emergency Alert System.

DJ Aron Solo did not understand what he was seeing as black smoke rose south of the downtown. Quickly, he contacted the station manager, Sharon Scott. Together, they pondered billowing black smoke-filled skies and could only guess where it originated.

Within a day, investigations would reveal that, shortly after takeoff, a UPS cargo plane headed for Honolulu had barreled downwards and collided with a petroleum recycling facility. Multiple explosions caused massive clouds of smoke. Hundreds of fire fighters were called to the scene. 14 people were killed.

But at that moment, information was sparce.

Scott wrote about the community radio station’s response to the sudden catastrophe in Radio World.

“It will be months,” she said, — possibly years — before we know the full extent of the toxic fumes that were released from this impact. But within minutes, thanks to our rapid-response volunteer network, ART FM was able to get the word out to our listeners on WXOX 97.1 FM — “STAY AWAY FROM THE AREA.”

As the team started receiving text alerts from the city, they relayed advisories for people to shelter in place.

What the WXOX team did not receive was a response from their government-mandated Emergency Alert System (EAS). It remained quiet during the entirety of the event. 

In her Radio World essay, Scott addressed the need for radio stations to be prepared even if EAS devices fail, the need for answers for this failure, and the need for government officials to understand that not everyone will have a phone handy when tragedy strikes. 

Read WXOX Station Manager Sharon Scott’s full essay in Radio World.