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I don’t know about you but I’ve definitely noticed a shift in weather patterns over the years. Places that used to rarely get hit with tornadoes and other terrible storms are now getting hit with greater frequency.
Two incidents that immediately come to mind are the powerful tornado that ravaged parts of my region on April 28, 2011 and Hurricane Helene that literally washed entire Appalachian towns away in September 2026.
While our region had experienced tornadoes and hurricane winds and rains before, those two extreme events were wake-up calls to be sure.
Have you ever thought about what could happen if another such storm is on its way and you have no way of finding out about it? Yes, hurricanes tend to come with plenty of warning, but their exact path will often remain a mystery until the last minute.
Tornadoes are even more uncertain because they can pop up most anywhere, at anytime. Even worse, they often strike at night when most people in the affected areas will be sleeping.
Local weather broadcasts can help warn folks to either take shelter or move out of a coming storm’s path, but what if your local TV and radio news sources are offline as sometimes happens during extreme weather events?
This is where a good NOAA emergency weather Alert radio really comes in handy. (#ad)
A good weather radio will let you program it to receive alerts for your specific county and the surrounding area, ensuring that you only receive the alerts that truly pose a danger to you and your loved ones. It will also give you loud, unmistakable alerts that are virtually impossible to sleep through.
This is a dependable way to receive life-saving weather alerts at any time, even when your local news outlets are offline.
There a number of different weather alert radios on the market today, but the one I trust and recommend is the Midland WR120B. (#ad)
This radio will alert you to over 60 kinds of weather hazards and emergencies and you can program it to provide alerts for up to 25 surrounding counties, ensuring that you receive an alert only when your specific local area is going to be affected by the storm.
The large-type display will literally spell out what type of storm or weather event to expect, leaving no room for error or misunderstanding.
Bottom line: The best way to stay safe during any extreme weather event is to either take shelter or move out of its path, but you and your family can only do that if you have warning that it’s coming your way. A really good NOAA emergency weather alert radio will give you the heads-up you need before it’s too late to take effective action.
To finish up, here’s a very short, but informative video that explains what you need to do in order to survive a tornado event. Check it out.