JLo

In case of a power outage, there are a number of AM/FM radios available that draw power not only from batteries but also from hand-cranking and solar cells.

Hand-cranking to charge built-in batteries according to the instructions typically gives at least a half-hour of play. Five hours of sunlight on those with solar cells gives the batteries at least eight hours of life.

These radios make a good addition to emergency supplies or camping gear. With the Coleman Outrider now unavailable, your choice is between the pricey Freeplay Plus, $100, which plays longest on a crank, or the much lighter (and much cheaper) Grundig FR200, $40.

kitkat86

Emergency radios are a must for anyone who likes outdoor activities. Living in an area that is prone to severe thunderstorms and tornadoes, we always carry a weather radio with us when we go camping and/or fishing. It has helped us get to cover a few times when the weather has turned bad.

kitkat86

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/nwrrcvr.htm

The above link is to the National Weather Service site. It has information regarding what to look for in weather radios, a list of manufacturers, and information on Public Alerts.

Bruno

We also live in tornado alley and emergency radios are a life-saver in those kinds of situations. It doesn't seem like any part of the country is free of weather or natural disaster emergencies, whether they are tornadoes, blizzards, hurricanes, or earthquakes.

PheasantValley

We have a weather radio in our house and it never gets shut off. It seems that when a person least expects it, a severe weather event approaches our area. Thanks to the weather radio, we avoided serious injuries during a severe storm. The only problem I find with them is that the NWS regional areas are maybe a bit large. For example, we get weather tones for the neighboring state as well as our area. But, I quess this is okay as it lets us know when a storm is moving through our surrounding area as well as our county.

2sonsandadaughter

I'm just wondering what everyone does in a weather emergency. When I lived on the East Coast, we were told that we would be directed to a make-shift shelter, usually set up in a school. But where we live now, there are no such systems in place. We are to fend for ourselves, hiding out in our basement.

kitkat86

That is also what we do in case of a tornado. Go to the basement and get under something heavy, or go to an enclosed room. There are shelters in town that people can go to if they wish. I would contact your local city government's emergency management team to find out where the shelters are in your area.

If I were you, I would most definitely get a weather radio.

Biyun

I heard something on the local news about getting into your basement and going to the northeast corner of the room. Why the northeast corner? Does anyone know?

kitkat86

I've heard, at some point in time over the years, that you were supposed to go to every corner of the basement.

In recent years, however, they are telling you not to go to any particular corner. The advice they are giving now is to get under some heavy piece of furniture or go to an enclosed room.

The tale of going to a corner has been around for many, many years. I'm not sure how it started.

tiggapooh

When our kids were goung up we also lived in a remote area so we just made it part of your lives to have a battery operated radio in the basement as well as flashlights, candles, blankets, etc. Now we have moved and we still do maintain an emergency kit in the basement even though we do live closer to town.