NOAA Weather Alert Radio

Sunday, March 29, 2009
Summerdale, AL

First, let me do an update on Dar. After flying back to Wisconsin she saw her doctor on Friday morning. He did the usual poke, prod, and listening things, then ordered some tests. By late afternoon the tests came back and it was determined that she had walking pneumonia. Treatment is easy... the right antibiotic usually knocks it out in a couple weeks. So she's on the mend, feeling much better, and taking it easy at her Mom & Dad's house for a few days. We booked a return flight back to Pensacola for her next Tuesday. Once again, thanks to all of you who expressed concern about her.

Meanwhile, it's been pretty quiet around the bus-house. After finally getting Dar launched from Pensacola on Thursday it rained on and off again most of the day, as it had every day since Tuesday. By evening I was ready for a good nights sleep. But that wasn't to be.

A few months back we purchased a NOAA weather alert radio. It's one of those things that seemed to make a lot of sense especially because we live in a house that isn't anchored to the ground with a substantial foundation. We all know how tornados will actually seek out mobile home and RV parks before causing any real damage.

When storms occur during the day we're pretty darn good at watching the sky. Among her many other capabilities Dar is also a trained weather observer. But at night when dangerous weather is expected and when the sky isn't real visible it seems sensible to have a device that can make you aware of natural dangers ahead of time.

If a severe thunderstorm or tornado or other dangerous situation is heading your way, a NOAA weather alert radio will make you aware of it by sounding a siren... a loud siren... that's capable of waking deep sleepers and people in medically induced comas. It will tell you to go immediately to your basement. If you don't have a basement it will suggest you should go outside, find a ditch or ravine, jump in and lay face down while covering your head with your arms. I'm not sure about this advice as most low spots are usually filled with water during heavy rains and they never say anything about taking a snorkel along. Hmmm.

For a long while after we got our NOAA weather alert radio it didn't make so much as a peep. It just sat there for weeks. I became concerned it wasn't working at all until one day I saw it had, in fact, received a test signal which confirmed it was, indeed, working just fine.

But this past week it's been getting a real workout. And Thursday night, when we had storms lined up and aimed right at this little corner of L.A. (Lower Alabama), it kept me up almost all night. Having this little radio is probably still a good idea but I hope I'll never have to look for a water-filled ditch or ravine to jump into.

For the record we received almost 7 inches of rain on Thursday night alone according to local amateur weathermen. For the three day period it was close to 12 inches.

Thom