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Weather radio a vital tool for severe weather awareness Feb. 18-22 is Severe Weather Awareness Week in Alabama. With the Sunday tornado in Prattville and the many watches and warnings already this year, Roy Waite, Clarke County Emergency Management Agency Director, is concerned that people could better prepare themselves. This has been an unusual year for severe weather, he said. "Normally, we do not have tornado warnings in January and February for this area. Typically, it's late March and April. I'm not sure what that means for the upcoming tornado season. We haven't gotten there yet, and we've been getting a lot of warnings." Waite said the county EMA received 30 different warnings on Sunday. The most important tool would be a National Weather Service (NWS) radio, he said. "A majority of the people in the county do not have weather service radios. It is a relatively inexpensive item." The cost of the radios ranges from $20 to $40. "Those are the fastest way to get a weather alert." Waite cautioned that residents should buy a weather radio with a battery backup. "There is a tower in Jackson that the (NWS alert) is sent out from so we have excellent coverage in any part of this county. "…There also is a newer technology out there from WKRG (TV5) of Mobile," he said, "…You can go to their web site (www.wkrg.com/weather/) and go to the "First Alert, Storm Alert" section. You can pick which county you want to get alerts for, and it will send it to your cell phone immediately. "It is extremely fast. I have it sent to my cell phone in case I'm in an area that I'm not able to see the radar." Waite said his EMA Southern Linc phone receives information from the NWS any time there is a watch or warning. However, at the same time, the "First Alert" call will come in on his cell phone. "It's great, and it's free. You can sent it to your cell phone, your PDA, your E-mail, whichever you choose." Also, many people still don't know where they need to be when there is a storm warning declared by weather officials. "We will go under a tornado warning," Waite said, "and they will go to the school to get their kids. Those kids are safer there at the school than they are on the highway." Waite coordinates with both the Thomasville and Clarke County school systems. "We don't want them on the road in the middle of the (weather) event, so we may hold them late," he said. "We don't normally suggest that they leave early just because so many parents both work and students go home and may be home by themselves. They are much safer at the schools." Another ongoing concern for EMA officials is the safety of people in mobile homes. "The mobile home is not a safe place to be during a high wind event or a tornado," Waite said. "If they have any place that they can get to that's a sturdy building, a block or brick building or in a shelter, I would recommend that they do that immediately. "Waiting until the storm hits is not a good option. If you get stranded and can't get out at that point, then go to the most interior part of that building, like in the bathroom or in a small area underneath a door frame or in the bathtub. But, if at all possible, get out of the mobile home." Waite does feel that people take weather watches and warnings more seriously. "We get a lot more phone calls from people buying weather radios," he said. "They call and want to know how to program them and what station to set them on….If it's not on the right channel, then you may not receive the warning."
Weather service radios are also good because they will sound a warning at night when a person is asleep. "While you may have your cell phone turned off and charging, (the radio) will still alarm and alert your family to take cover."
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