As of June 1 it is officially hurricane season here in the US. Though the Atlantic hurricane season is getting off to the slowest start in at least five years, the hurricanes will start to appear sooner or later. These hurricanes bring with them the potential for life threatening weather in many parts of the country. When severe weather approaches time can be the difference between life and death or serious injury. A weather radio can buy you the extra time you need to prepare or evacuate.
NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, believes that NOAA weather radios should be as common in houses and places of business as smoke detectors are. Unfortunately, weather radios are nowhere near as ubiquitous as smoke detectors. I believe part of the reason is people don't know they exist, what they do, or how they can save lives.
Here's how weather radios work: NOAA operates a nationwide network of around 1000 radio stations known as NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards (NWR). Coverage is for all 50 states, adjacent waterways, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The NWR works with the FCC to broadcast weather service warnings, forecasts and other information about hazards and they do this 24/7.
(It's still the cheapest life insurance you'll ever find. Consider one for home, maybe one for each floor of your house. I have in my office as well. If there is a tornado warning at 3 am [rare, but not impossible] this will be the ONLY method that wakes me up, giving me time to get to the basement). For more on NOAA Weather Radio click here.
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