Our prayers and thoughts go out to the residents of Birmingham, Tuscaloosa, and Cullman, Alabama this morning. Yesterday’s severe weather (April 27, 2011) produced massive tornadoes which killed or injured many people. At the time of this writing, the Alabama death toll from these storms stands at 128. That number is expected to rise.
Live, local radio used to do a great job informing people of approaching tornadoes and other severe weather. Unfortunately, many stations are no longer live nor local. Instead, they use prerecorded voice tracks and computerized automation systems to cut costs. This is especially true during evening and overnight hours when weather information is the most crucial. When the storms come, nobody’s there to warn you.
Drew’s Radio Site strongly recommends you purchase a NOAA Weather Alert Radio. This will keep you informed as to tornadoes, severe thunderstorms, hurricanes, flash flooding, earthquakes, blizzards, and other hazards in your area. They are battery-operated, so they will function in the event of a power outage. Manufacturers include Oregon Scientific, Eton, Midland, Reecom, Sangean, and Sony.
You can purchase weather radios locally at Radio Shack, Walmart, Target, and Best Buy stores. A quality NOAA Weather Alert Radios costs less than $50 and can save your life. Yes, there are still some good radio and TV broadcasters who provide severe weather coverage. But many no longer do. Don’t take that chance. Get a NOAA Weather Alert Radio and be sure you will receive the information you need in order to stay safe.