KPLC 7 News, Lake Charles, LouisianaWeather Radios Are A Must

Weather Radios Are A Must

May 10, 2006
Reported by Vince Atkinson

Hail, lighting, and heavy rain are all signs that a tornado could strike at anytime. Late at night many people get little or no warning. Dick Gremillion with the Calcasieu Parish Office Of Emergency Preparedness said, "People are asleep. You need something that is going to wake you up." Some cities use weather sirens, but that only works in isolated areas. Residents of a rural area in north Texas had no warning at all Tuesday night.

Gremillion thinks he knows the solution to dangerous weather situations. Gremillion said, "A good alternative, as we discussed, is a weather radio." Weather radios come in every shape and size, but you can purchase added features. Gremillion said, "If you buy a weather radio, for a few extra dollars you can get what's called an alert feature on it. That way the weather radio just sits there silent until there is a bad weather warning or a tornado warning."

You can plug up a weather radio in your home and then forget about until you need it. This could just save your life. Gremillion said, "It's cheap insurance. They are usually less than $50.00. They are affordable and it gives a good source of information."  Weather radios can also help protect you from other potential dangers, like chemical leaks from one of the area plants or dangerous train accidents, and it will also give you the latest information on any amber alerts that may be issued.

If you are still not convinced you need a weather radio for your home, workers with the local office of emergency preparedness say radios are no different than installing a smoke detector. Emergency workers feel it is just too dangerous not to have one.