Weather Radios Save Lives
Release Date: February 14, 2007
Release Number: 1679-009
» More Information on Florida Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding
» More Information on Florida Severe Storms and Tornadoes
ORLANDO, Fla. -- How many times have you heard a tornado survivor's quavering voice..."I woke up... walls were shaking... the bed was shaking... then the roof was gone?... or "All I felt was my wife shake me to wake me up, then a roar... it was all over in three seconds."
Instead of waking with three seconds warning, a shrieking, warbling alarm from a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) weather radio could have given as much as eight minutes to have family and pets in a specially constructed safe room or at least a secure location in their home, before the walls began to shake.
As essential as a smoke detector for fires, a special NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards can alert you and your loved ones to approaching severe weather.
A weather radio provides instant access to the same weather reports and emergency information that meteorologists and emergency personnel use. This information can save your life, or the life of someone you love.
Instant weather alerts are especially important when tornadoes threaten because tornadoes can form quickly then move fast once they are formed and on the ground.
NOAA, the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the State of Florida 's State Emergency Response Team (SERT) agree every home should have a NOAA receiver as standard equipment.
During an emergency, NOAA will broadcast a special tone that automatically activates weather radios. NOAA then broadcasts warning and post-event information for all types of hazards. They are especially valuable in places that are prone to tornadoes.
Tennessee has installed weather radios in every public school in the state to give advance warning in such emergencies as this year's tornadoes, and Florida is working toward having weather radio in all schools and public buildings.
A weather radio also broadcasts around-the-clock weather reports and information to help prepare for the day ahead.
The hearing-and-visually impaired can get these warnings by connecting weather radios with alarm tones to strobe lights, pagers, bed-shakers, personal computers and text printers. A battery-operated weather radio will also advise you of emergency conditions at home, work, traveling, on vacation or at play.
Make sure the radio you buy has seven channels, an audible or visual warning alert feature and battery backup. An important feature available on many NOAA weather radio models is Specific Area Message Encoding (SAME) technology that lets users pre-select the alerts they want to receive based upon the area where they live, allowing residents to tailor their weather radio alerts to their specific area.
NOAA's radio network is an all-hazards system. It provides watches and warnings for natural incidents such as hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, thunderstorms and winter storms, oil spills, 911 telephone outages, AMBER alerts and terrorist attacks. Weather radios are available, starting around $20.00, at mass-market retailers such as Target, Wal-Mart, Best Buy etc., and on the World Wide Web.
More information is available through the Weather Service's NOAA Weather Radio Web Site: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr .
FEMA manages federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident, initiates mitigation activities and manages the National Flood Insurance Program. FEMA works closely with state and local emergency managers, law enforcement personnel, firefighters and other first responders. FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on March 1, 2003.
Last Modified: Wednesday, 14-Feb-2007 09:24:04