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Plan would put a weather radio in every home

Citing St. Petersburg’s vulnerability to hurricanes and tornadoes, a businessman says they could offer early warnings.

By CURTIS KRUEGER and AARON SHAROCKMAN
Published July 13, 2006

ST. PETERSBURG — Just about everyone keeps a smoke alarm in the home, so why not a hurricane alarm?

That was the gist of the conversation Wednesday with a business executive who met with city officials to discuss distributing free weather radios to every household in St. Petersburg.

Bruce Thomas, a spokesman for the Midland Radio Corp., stressed the idea is purely in talking stages. Major details such as who would pay for the radios and distribute them have not been worked out.

The radios broadcast local reports from the National Weather Service and sound alarms for hurricane and tornado warnings.

Shawn P. Bennett, the meteorologist in charge of the National Weather Service Office for the Tampa Bay area in Ruskin, likes the idea.

He said the radios are like “a smoke alarm for weather hazards” and said putting one in every St. Petersburg home is “a laudable goal.”

Thomas said he is proposing the idea in St. Petersburg and Key West because both are considered vulnerable to hurricanes.

Bennett compared weather radios to the sirens that warn people in Midwestern towns about tornado dangers. The radios are “kind of like having one of those but having it in your house,” he said.

He said in the Tampa Bay area, which is known to be vulnerable to hurricanes, the radios are a good way for residents to be aware of severe weather and other potential disasters.

Bennett was at the meeting with city officials to discuss the issue. He said he’s not recommending one company over another, but he is interested in promoting the use of weather radios among more Tampa Bay residents.

City officials said they were impressed with the technology but stressed that their meeting Wednesday was preliminary. The city always explores ways to better reach residents in emergencies, said marketing director Eve Cline.

Weather radios have been around for decades and have simultaneously grown cheaper and more sophisticated.

Thomas said Midland offers a radio with a suggested retail price of about $50, which Wal-Mart sells for about $30.

The radio can be programmed so that it broadcasts only the weather warnings and watches for one county. It also can be programmed for several counties.

Bennett said the weather radios are a good addition to homes because they sound an alarm in case of severe weather. That could be valuable if, for example, a tornado is forming.

The weather radios sound off for a variety of emergencies including: severe weather, Amber Alerts, evacuation notices, hazardous material spills, food contamination warnings and certain marine warnings, including tsunamis.

That variety could be a curse as much as a blessing. Any landlubber awakened at 3 a.m. for marine weather might soon unplug the radio.

Thomas said it’s better to have the information than not. “Every warning gives you your best opportunity to make wise decisions.”

Higher-end radios can be programmed so that they broadcast severe weather warnings, but not weather watches.

[Last modified July 16, 2006, 10:56:27]