Since their conception, NOAA weather radios have served as the universal source of emergency communications, especially regarding tornado warnings. With the evolution of the cell phone in the past two decades, the reliability of these archaic devices is starting to slip. In a similar fashion to the tornado siren, this is yet another example of an unreliable, single-source method for keeping your family, business, and ultimately community protected from dangerous weather.
For many, waking up to the sound of the weather radio going off is a staple of a classic childhood in the midwest. The most recent upgrade has included the ability to customize what alerts (watches, warnings, advisories, etc…) can come in for your location. For the more advanced users, setting other county “codes” into the radio can allow you to know of alerts to the neighboring counties, although this can be tedious to set up. While we can’t ignore the efforts and lives that were saved by this technology at the turn of the century, we need to start looking forward to the future and stop turning around, waiting for radios to catch up.
Recent interruptions include: scheduled updates to the main computer systems and fixing outdated radio towers, which in turn has to be communicated to the general public. All of these inconveniences create unnecessary chaos to a stream of communication that should be simple and quick. Alerts to your cell phone, either via app or directly from EAS (Emergency Alert System) are rarely disrupted. Imagine if they updated the cell phone towers for 72 hours and you weren’t able to use cell service. Weather alerts would be the least of your concerns!
Now, this is not to say that you should toss your weather radio, ignore weather sirens, and not have a backup plan or two, but weather radios should NOT be at the forefront of what you are using to keep your family safe! They should be a second or third supplement to your phone and the Clarity weather app!
Clarity Weather offers location-specific alerts, with meteorologists issuing custom warnings at their discretion. Staffed 24/7 with increased support during severe weather events, our service offers a chat feature for direct access to meteorologists, ensuring rapid responses within two minutes. This is in ADDITION to specific NWS alerts for your area! Whether protecting your family or business, Clarity Weather equips you to stay ahead of dangerous weather. Sign up today to stay prepared.