by Mindy Aguon

Guam - This past weekend's tsunami warning would have been the perfect opportunity for the Office of Civil Defense, Guam Homeland Security to utilize sirens to provide notice to island residents. Instead a $2 million siren system sits in a warehouse because of an unresolved protest.

Three years ago after receiving approval and $2 million from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, officials on Guam solesourced sirens from SES, a company that also provides services to the military on the island.

OCD Administrator Chuck Ada says the feds required the government to purchase a system that was compatible to the existing footprint on the island, but once the sirens were purchased, a protest was lodged by RadioCom. Three years later, Ada says they're still waiting for the issue to be resolved.

He told KUAM News, "We just received custody of the equipment this past month and he's working with the Attorney General's Office to dismiss the case so we can move forward in putting out the project for installation."

While Ada is optimistic the sirens will be installed by the end of the year, Homeland Security Spokesperson Lesley Leon Guerrero says officials are also working on obtaining vehicle warning systems for island mayors. She said, "Those will be mounted on the mayors' official vehicles. It has a light. It has a siren. It has a P.A. system and a speaker so they can actually use the script we give tem to go door-to-door and street-to-street, especially to those areas where they have squatters residing so they can reach as many people as possible."