REMEMBER
NOAA WEATHER RADIO WHEN SPRINGING FORWARD
‘Tis the Season to Complete Severe Weather Preparedness Plans
March
8, 2007 � Daylight-saving time begins three weeks earlier this year,
on Sunday morning, March 11. While moving the clock ahead one hour,
be sure to place fresh batteries into smoke detectors and NOAA
Weather Radio All Hazards receivers. Those who do not currently
have a NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards receiver are strongly encouraged
to purchase this potentially life-saving device as the United States
enters the spring severe weather season. (Click NOAA illustration
for larger view of NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards. Click
here for high resolution version. Please credit “NOAA.”)
Owning a NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards receiver and having a preparedness
plan developed in advance are among the central themes raised by the
NOAA National Weather Service during Severe Weather Awareness Week—an
annual safety campaign during which NOAA distributes safety tips and
information on various weather threats across individual states. Next
week, March 12-16, Severe Weather Awareness Week will be recognized
throughout Kansas, Missouri, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, with other
states to follow later in the month and through April and May.
“Moving from winter to spring often brings the threat of severe
thunderstorms, tornadoes and flooding,” said Brig. Gen. David
L. Johnson, U.S. Air Force (Ret.), director of the NOAA
National Weather Service. “NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards
is essential to staying abreast of approaching, ongoing and rapidly
developing weather conditions that may be hazardous to your safety.
And having a personal preparedness plan ahead of time allows for quick
action when seconds count.”
NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards, a component of the nation's Emergency
Alert System, is a nationwide network of more than 970 radio stations
directly linked with the NOAA National Weather Service, which issues
weather warnings and relays civil emergency messages on behalf of law
enforcement agencies. NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards is provided as
a public service by NOAA, an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Broadcasts include tornado warnings, severe thunderstorm warnings, flood
warnings, AMBER Alerts for child abductions, chemical spill messages
and routine weather observations and forecasts.
When selecting a NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards receiver, consumers
should consider:
-
Public Alert-certified radios, which meet stringent performance standards
specified by the Consumer Electronics Association, and
-
Radios incorporating Specific Area Message Encoding (SAME)
technology, which allows the unit to be programmed for one or more
specific counties.
Many radios also can be programmed to alert only for specific warning
types. Flashing alert lights, bed shakers and other accessories are
available to ensure the hearing impaired have access to this life-saving
information.
NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards are available at many electronic retail
stores, marine supply stores, mail order catalogs and the Internet.
Prices vary by model and available options, but typically range between
$20 and $80.
NOAA, an
agency of the U.S. Commerce Department,
is celebrating 200 years
of science and service to the nation. From the establishment of
the Survey of the Coast in 1807 by Thomas Jefferson to the formation
of the Weather Bureau and the Commission of Fish and Fisheries in the
1870s, much of America's scientific heritage is rooted in NOAA. NOAA
is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through
the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and
information service delivery for transportation, and by providing environmental
stewardship of the nation's coastal and marine resources. Through the
emerging Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS),
NOAA is working with its federal partners, more than 60 countries and
the European Commission to develop a global monitoring network that
is as integrated as the planet it observes, predicts and protects.
Relevant Web Sites
NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards
NOAAWatch:
Storms and Hazards Portal
NOAA
Weather Portal
Media
Contact:
Chris Vaccaro, NOAA,
(202) 482-0702 or Dennis Feltgen,
NOAA National Weather Service,
(301) 713-0622
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