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Some people say "Noah" and some people say "N, O double AA". Either way,
they're all talking about the same organization, the "National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration"; perhaps the best-kept secret in government. Take a
quick trip to the NOAA Web site and you'll immediately be struck by
two things. They're about a lot more than the weather and they have
one of the most beautiful websites on the Internet. You can find fascinating
information on everything from giant
squid, to
climate, or NOAA satellite
images. That's just the tip of the iceberg. The images
throughout the website are stunning and the articles are filled with
some of the most interesting stuff you can read online.
Since the mid 1990s, the NOAA's National Weather Service has been making
its way into American homes by way of their NOAA Weather Radios. A
lot of people rely on NOAA Weather Radios for immediate information about
natural hazards like tornados, volcanic activity, strong winds, and
earthquakes, as well as technological hazards like oil and chemical
spills. The NOAA issues warnings and forecasts 24 hours a day, 365
days a year, in all fifty states. It's no surprise that in the
aftermath of 9/11 people have been wondering why the NOAA
Alert system was not used to signal a national crisis. Will it be used
in the event of another national crisis?
The NOAA says that they are an "all-hazards radio network,
making it the single source for the most comprehensive weather and
emergency information available to the public." In other words, weather
radios won't just give you weather warnings. They're also tapped into
the FCC Emergency Alert System (EAS), which means that
if and when the President decides to issue an alert about a national emergency, it
will go directly to your Weather Radio.
Though the system could have been used on 9/11, President Bush went
directly to the broadcast media instead. The President's decision to
forego an EAS alert sparked a quiet (though heated) national debate
about how the EAS should be used. Is it exclusively a warning system?
Or can it be used to report incidents after the fact as well?
The NOAA could be instrumental in handling a national
emergency. In 2001, NOAA satellites helped save 166 people throughout
the United States. As part of the Cospas-Sarsat international
search and rescue system, the NOAA has helped rescue 12,889 people
worldwide - including an amazing rescue
of two people threatened by a bear after their plane went down in Alaska.
Given the impressive amount of information at the NOAA's disposal, it's no
wonder they believe the Weather Radio should be as "common as smoke
detectors" in US households, schools and offices. It could really
help protect and save a lot of lives. That's why C. Crane integrated
the NOAA Weather Band into the CCRadio-2 and
CC Solar Observer. Like other ideal NOAA Radio's, these radios are easy to operate and durable.
The CCRadio-2 also features a weather alert that
sounds an alarm, and illuminates a small LED to let you know of any
reported hazards on the way.
C. Crane has had many customers tell them how much they appreciate the
Weather Band (WX) and NOAA alert features of the CCRadio-2 and
the Sangean DT400W Digital
Pocket Radio. Having these radios on hand gave them enough time to
batten down the hatches and keep their families safe from the inclement
weather heading their way.
You can learn a lot more about this remarkable organization at some of
the following NOAA Web sites:
National Weather Service Home Page
NOAA Home Page
Operational Significant Event Imagery
You can also hear the NWR
text-to-speech voices of "Donna", "Tom" and "Javier".
As always, please contact us with any comments or
article suggestions you might have.
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