Give A Gift That Saves Lives

-- End Ad Box --->Message Encoding)technology. SAME uses a series
An Inexpensive NOAA Weather Radio Can Give Youof digital tones that identifies the type of warning being
The Time To Seek Safety.sent and the denotes the specific geographic location
Shortly before sunrise on November 16 an F3 tornadothe event affects. SAME allows you to filter out
ripped through the tiny community of Riegelwood, NC.distant warning broadcasts and monitor only those
Within seconds 8 people were dead and 20 moremessages intended for your local area. For example if
were seriously injured. Among the dead were 4you live in a coastal county but not right on the beach,
children under the age of 12.you may not be interested in a Coastal Flood Warning.
The tornado struck at a bad time. Most of theSAME technology is also the primary trigger for
residents were still asleep or just beginning their day.activating the Emergency Alert System used by
There was little warning. The National Weathercommercial radio, television and cable TV outlets.
Service office in Wilmington, NC issued a tornadoEach county in the U.S. is assigned a 6-digit code by
warning at 6:29 am. Eight minutes later the tornadothe NWS. This code can be easily programmed into
touched down.the radio (Detailed instructions for your area are
Severe Weather Can Strike At Any Timeincluded with the radio.). Once the code is set the radio
Severe weather like tornadoes and thunderstorms canresponds only to alerts issued for the area
strike with little warning. They develop very quickly andprogrammed. If you move, the radio can be
their lifespan is relatively short. But during their brief timereprogrammed for your new location.
tornadoes bring terrible destruction, injury and loss ofDepending on the model you choose, further
life. Other weather-related events like flash floodingprogramming can be done to minimize false alarms or
and lightning can put many lives in jeopardy.to include neighboring counties in your alert area. This is
While we currently don't have technology to controlimportant for those who live near county borders.
the weather, we do have technology in place that canSAME radios are available in desktop and portable
warn us to approaching severe weather and give usmodels. Portable radios allow you to take the radio
enough time to seek safety.with you wherever you go and they can be
Weather Warnings by Radioreprogrammed to work when you're on vacation or on
NOAA Weather Radio is perhaps one of the bestthe road. If you work outside or participate in outdoor
kept secrets in the United States. Many of us areactivities a protable unit can alert you to unknown
unaware that the National Weather Service operatesweather dangers wherever you happen to be.
nearly 1,000 radio transmitters throughout the country.For desktop models, a battery backup feature is
The transmitters are in operation 24 hours a day, 7important. Having the option to operate independent of
days a week continuously streamming currentcommercial power will keep the receiver armed and
weather conditions, forecasts, warnings, and otherworking even if the power fails.
crucial weather information.Weather Radio has evolved over the years to
NOAA Weather Radio advises people of severebroadcast non-weather emergency information making
weather watches and warnings, buying extra time forthe system an "All Hazards" network. Information of
people to react before dangerous storms hit their area.events such as chemical spills, earthquakes, and even
When you're in the path of something like a tornado,terrorist attack are broadcast if the need arises.
seconds can mean the difference between life andWhile we cannot recommend any specific brand of
death.receiver, we do recommend that the radio you
However, a special kind of radio receiver is neededconsider buying comes with the Public Alert logo. The
that is capable of receiving the alerts. Special NOAAPublic Alert Standard was adopted by the Consumer
Weather Radios are available in electronics stores,Electronics Association in conjunction with the National
sporting goods stores, marine supply stores, and onWeather Service. Radios that carry the Public Alert
the Web. They are inexpensive (starting at aboutlogo meet specific technical standards and include the
$30.00) and programmable for a specific area. NOAAfeatures we mention here.
Weather Radio receivers are built to utilize theWe have smoke detectors in our homes that alert us
features of NOAA Weather Radio.to fire. We have carbon monoxide detectors that alert
Each advisory, watch, or warning transmitted by NWSus to potential deadly gasses from our furnaces
is preceded by a special alert tone. When the radiofireplaces/gas heaters. An NOAA Weather Radio
detects the tones transmitted by the NWS, it activatesshould be included in your arsenal of weapons to
itself. Weather Radios respond to the alert tones bysafeguard against severe and deadly weather events.
activating a built-in audio or visual alarm. The alarmEarly warnings of severe weather can give you just
feature is especially useful for warnings that are issuedenough time to take cover.
during the night when most people are asleep.Consider purchasing NOAA Weather Radios as gifts
SAME Technologythis holiday season. It could save the lives of those you
The best Weather Radios use SAME (Specific Arealove.