Are you prepared for severe weather?

While owning a weather radio is not mandatory, it can be an invaluable tool for staying safe during extreme weather conditions. Are you one of those individuals who could benefit from having a weather radio? Here are some important considerations for seniors when it comes to preparing for severe weather:

Assess Your Location: Do you live in an area prone to severe weather? Knowing your region's weather patterns and potential risks is crucial. Some regions are more susceptible to specific types of severe weather events, such as tornadoes, hurricanes, or blizzards.

Type of Severe Weather: Understand the types of severe weather you are most commonly exposed to in your area. Weather radios are highly effective for all types of severe weather, but they are especially crucial for unpredictable emergencies like tornadoes and flash floods.

Unpredictable Nature: Tornados and flash floods often occur with little to no warning. While meteorologists can predict some weather events, others can catch you off guard. Not all TV stations can broadcast important weather alerts immediately, but weather radios can provide real-time updates.

What Are Weather Radios: Weather radios are technically a part of the weather radio service. They not only provide severe weather alerts but can also broadcast other critical emergencies like natural disasters or Amber Alerts. These radios come in various formats and may offer additional features.

Types of Weather Radios: Weather radios come in various formats. Most are battery-operated, but some also have backup windup power. Many weather radios feature AM/FM radio tuners and some even double as clocks and flashlights. While these options may be pricier, they are excellent for emergencies.

Where to Buy: You can purchase a weather radio both locally and online. If you live in an area prone to specific severe weather events, you'll likely find a variety of weather radios in local retail stores. If you can't find the features you desire, consider searching online through sports stores and department stores or by using online search phrases like "weather radios" or "weather radios for sale."

Proper Usage: Having a weather radio is essential, but using it correctly is equally important. Ensure that you turn it on when you suspect weather changes, even if the changes seem minor. During severe weather watches or warnings, keep your weather radio on, especially when you go to bed. This way, it will keep you updated and informed, helping you stay safe.

In addition to weather radios, there are several other types of communication and alert systems that seniors can use to stay informed and safe during severe weather events:

NOAA Weather Apps: Many mobile apps, such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Weather App, provide real-time weather alerts, radar images, and weather forecasts directly to your smartphone or tablet.

Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA): WEA, also known as Emergency Alert System (EAS) messages, are short emergency messages sent by authorized government alerting authorities through your mobile carrier. They include alerts about severe weather, local emergencies requiring evacuation or immediate action, AMBER alerts, and Presidential Alerts.

Community Alert Systems: Many local governments and communities have alert systems that send notifications via text, email, or phone calls about weather-related emergencies, road closures, and other important information. Check with your local government to see if they offer such a service.

Smartphone Alerts: Modern smartphones can receive emergency alerts based on your location. Make sure your phone is set up to receive Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) and emergency alerts from local authorities in your device settings.

Weather Apps and Websites: Various weather apps and websites provide weather alerts and forecasts. These include popular apps like The Weather Channel, AccuWeather, and Weather Underground. You can customize these apps to receive alerts for specific locations.

Social Media: Follow local news stations, meteorologists, and emergency management agencies on social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook for real-time updates on severe weather events.

Emergency Alert Radios: Some emergency radios are designed to receive both weather alerts and other emergency messages. These radios can be manually tuned to receive updates.

Text Messages: Create a text messaging group with family members or neighbours to share updates and check on each other during severe weather events.

Landline Phones: If you have a landline phone, you may receive recorded emergency messages from local authorities.

Emergency Notification Systems: Some communities use automated emergency notification systems that send alerts via phone calls, text messages, or email. Check with your local government or emergency management agency to sign up for such notifications.

A weather radio can be a lifesaver, offering real-time alerts and important information during emergencies. It's essential to have multiple means of receiving alerts and information during severe weather events. Depending on your location and preferences, you can use a combination of these communication methods to stay informed and safe. Make sure to regularly test and update your chosen communication channels to ensure they are functioning correctly.

In conclusion, being well-prepared for severe weather is vital for your safety, especially as a senior. Make sure to assess your local weather risks select a weather communication tool that suits your needs and location, and remember to use it effectively to stay informed and safe during severe weather events.

The Power of Nature

My friend George sent me the following photos' but I am not sure where he got them from. They show the power of storms.

Stormy Weather

I have been watching with interest the impact of the storm on the American East Coast and my heart goes out to all my American friends who are in harms way.

This round of Stormy Weather shows that most people have some common sense but I am alarmed at the news coverage. The TV news reporters who go out into the storm to get the best live shot, should have their heads examined. The story can be told, I think, without putting oneself in harms way. 

I have also been impressed by the American governments (all levels) who have spoken honestly to the people about the danger and about how to keep themselves safe. I hope is that all of you on the East Coast are kept out of harms way in the aftermath of the storm, and that you and your loved ones are safe.

For my Canadian friends in Ontario and the Maritime's, I hope that you are also kept out of harms way and that the storm does not wreck as much havoc it might.

In the aftermath of the storm, my hope is that friends, families and loved ones are safe and that life will begin to slowly return to a routine that is safer for all of you. The storm highlights I think, how much we are dependent on each other and how isolated we feel when we are cut off. The storm also shows us how much we need the infrastructure and why we need to  work to keep it up to date. I was also impressed with how prepared  the first responders in both countries  were when faced with dangerous situations.

Mike Law shared the following  description of the storm, which I thought was worth sharing:

The eye of the hurricane passed directly over us, when the eye passes all becomes calm. On the horizon in all directions one can see the eyewall of the Hurricane illuminated by flashes of lightning shimmering flashes of heat lightning as if this was a hot summer night with each flash of light, all is soft and distant and never strikes a blow of destruction.

The eyewall appears to be a steel curtain, dull gray as is steel, momentarily the wall appears and by its reflections of silver light from a flash lamp cosmic and high. In the calm you think maybe you woke up in a dream, but do not dream too long, because soon there will be a taste of new rage.

With a million people without electricity it is dark and it is cold, but mercifully it could have been much worse for us. In the mountains of Virginia, West Virginia and central Pennsylvania, some were nearly a meter of snow from thunder snowstorms in collision of a mass of hot tropical and humid air becomes shipwrecked in south of the arctic winter storm born in northern Canada. We had the chance ... a chance to be lucky.Winter is not yet on us, but in parts of the US and Canada, Sandy brought not only rain and high winds, but snow, sleet, and hail. For those of us who love winter--but not the storms of winter, here is a beautiful poem by Mike Law with a stunning image by Lisa Tyson Ennis  (taken in 2005) to remind us that there is hope and life even in the face of personal or community disaster.

In winter, A Solitary Place

On ghosting leafless trees upright their feet bare
covered with snow, each arm is sheathed solemnly in ice.
Freezing cold ...
Not a bird, not a squirrel, no movement,
Everything is frozen and silent.
This is not the brittle crunch of snow.
No footprints show my way when taken.
I stop, I'm paralyzed ... I can not
see my breath.
Momentarily confused I paused to reflect.
Of course, I understand, it's the fog.
Am I the fog? It seems so ...
enveloping all,
It steals my breath as in death.
The fog surrounds me...
a kiss ...
relax ...
I tremble, I tremble.
A lonely place on a dark
winter day.
I move in silence as if invisible as
the fog closes the door behind me.

March 2012 - mike law