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Weather radios save lives
By: Katrina Segers, Staff writer
No sirens sounded to warn residents in north Kansas City about severe weather during the early morning of May 2.
Meteorologist Gary Lezak, KSHB-TV, said such situations make National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration All-Hazards Radios an important and potentially lifesaving item.
“We had a situation where there was not a tornado warning issued, but there were severe thunderstorm warnings issued,” he said. “The sirens outside aren’t sounding, but if you have a weather radio and your county went into a severe thunderstorm warning then you would be alerted to that and you would be awakened and be able to tune to your favorite TV station – hopefully NBC Action News – and see if it’s something you have to worry about or if you can go back to bed.”
According to a report from USA Today, May 12, The Weather Channel estimates 47 tornadoes as of May 11, pushing 2008’s twister total to 636 and possibly making it the deadliest year for tornadoes in a decade.
William M. Welch reports 98 deaths are attributed to tornadoes this year, including the storms in Oklahoma and Missouri over Mother’s Day weekend.
Lezak said he encourages all residents to have at least one NOAA radio in their house, two would be ideal. He said this allows families to have one radio in an area that will awaken everyone in the event of severe weather and one in the shelter of their house to keep them informed during an event.
“When you are in your basement and there is a tornado warning, if you have a weather radio you can be in touch with what is going on with the thunderstorm around you with updates from the National Weather Service,” he said.
“And you can turn it off, if you want to sleep, turn it off, but if you have one and there is a bad storm with a chance of severe weather that night you leave it on and it’ll warn you to that severe weather potential,” Lezak said.
“If there’s a tornado warning it’ll go off probably before the sirens go off and if there’s not then, like the other night, it can at least be some warning.”
Lezak said NBC Action News and Price Chopper have partnered to sell NOAA radios at area Price Chopper locations. The radios can be set for specific counties, for example they can be set to go off only when weather watches or warnings are issued for Jackson County.
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Meteorologist Gary Lezak, KSHB-TV, said such situations make National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration All-Hazards Radios an important and potentially lifesaving item.
“We had a situation where there was not a tornado warning issued, but there were severe thunderstorm warnings issued,” he said. “The sirens outside aren’t sounding, but if you have a weather radio and your county went into a severe thunderstorm warning then you would be alerted to that and you would be awakened and be able to tune to your favorite TV station – hopefully NBC Action News – and see if it’s something you have to worry about or if you can go back to bed.”
According to a report from USA Today, May 12, The Weather Channel estimates 47 tornadoes as of May 11, pushing 2008’s twister total to 636 and possibly making it the deadliest year for tornadoes in a decade.
William M. Welch reports 98 deaths are attributed to tornadoes this year, including the storms in Oklahoma and Missouri over Mother’s Day weekend.
Lezak said he encourages all residents to have at least one NOAA radio in their house, two would be ideal. He said this allows families to have one radio in an area that will awaken everyone in the event of severe weather and one in the shelter of their house to keep them informed during an event.
“When you are in your basement and there is a tornado warning, if you have a weather radio you can be in touch with what is going on with the thunderstorm around you with updates from the National Weather Service,” he said.
“And you can turn it off, if you want to sleep, turn it off, but if you have one and there is a bad storm with a chance of severe weather that night you leave it on and it’ll warn you to that severe weather potential,” Lezak said.
“If there’s a tornado warning it’ll go off probably before the sirens go off and if there’s not then, like the other night, it can at least be some warning.”
Lezak said NBC Action News and Price Chopper have partnered to sell NOAA radios at area Price Chopper locations. The radios can be set for specific counties, for example they can be set to go off only when weather watches or warnings are issued for Jackson County.