A storm is approaching, and the sky is turning dark. Could a tornado be headed your way? Or maybe the storm will produce strong winds, large hail or a flash flood? Fortunately, meteorologists at the National Weather Service are watching the storm on radar and are ready to warn you if the storm becomes dangerous. If those forecasters think the storm will produce dangerous winds, large hail or a tornado, they’ll issue a warning to advise everyone in the storm’s path to seek a safe shelter.
But how will you hear the warning? While it’s very important for forecasters to issue warnings of severe weather, it’s equally important that people hear those warnings. Over the past 20 years, the National Weather Service has worked with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), radio and television stations, cable companies and telephone companies to help ensure that you hear the warnings.
Another way to receive severe storm warnings is with a NOAA Weather Radio. NOAA Weather Radios are designed to automatically turn on, sound an alarm and broadcast the warning immediately after it is issued. Whether you’re at home or at school, and whether you’re awake or asleep, a NOAA Weather Radio can potentially save your life! In fact, NOAA Weather Radios have been provided to every school system in the country to help keep students, teachers and staff safe. Currently there are more than 1000 NOAA Weather Radio stations across the United States.
An example of the life-saving benefits of NOAA Weather Radio happened in 2005. A severe thunderstorm was headed toward Charles F. Johnson Elementary School in Endicott, N.Y. Forecasters issued a warning for the storm, and that warning activated the alarm on the school’s Weather Radio receiver. School officials evacuated 340 students, teachers and staff to designated “storm-safe” areas. Twenty-two minutes later, the storm struck the school, and 70 mile-per-hour winds tore the roof off of the kindergarten wing and devastated the building. According to the principle of the school, those 22 minutes of advance warning saved lives and prevented injuries.
Another example occurred that same year in Smith County, Mississippi. Once a tornado warning was issued, the Mize Attendance Center (a kindergarten through 12th-grade complex), activated its emergency plan. Students on the upper level of the school went to the lower level interior hallways. While the tornado tore off the roof of the building and damaged the upper floor and windows, there were no injuries among the 650 students.
A Weather Radio is just one way to receive a severe storm warning. Radio and television stations have equipment that listens for severe weather warnings and then re-broadcasts the warnings to the station’s listeners or viewers. In addition, the warnings are available on the Internet and are sent out by many phone companies as text messages to cell phone users.
