Coast Guard to use social media for Northwest bar closure announcements

The following is the text of a news release from the U.S. Coast Guard:

(WARRENTON, Ore.) — The Coast Guard 13th District will use social media for all future river bar closure information announcements along the Pacific Northwest coast beginning Thursday (Nov. 20).

Bar closure announcements have historically been sent out using press releases and posted to the Coast Guard Newsroom at www.uscgnews.com. The transition to the use of social media is designed to get the information to potentially affected users of the waterway quickly and more efficiently.

The Twitter and Facebook links that will be used are: https://twitter.com/USCGPacificNW and https://www.facebook.com/USCGPNW.

Continually updated bar information can also be found at: http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/pqr/marine/bars_mover.php.

Bar information for specific areas can also be heard by calling the local Coast Guard’s small boat stations and listening to their automated updates or listening to the local notice to mariners broadcast on VHF-FM Channel 16.

By Professional Mariner Staff