Don't know if you remember a while back when I did a series on National Preparedness Month (September). During that time I bought a NOAA emergency radio.
We had a tornado watch last Friday night and had a chance to test it out. It was cool in a nerdy sort of way. When you turn to the weather channel, all it plays is notices from the National Weather Service.
So you don't have to wait for the TV or radio to get around to telling you what is going on, you're listening to the real stuff as it happens! The radio runs on batteries, an adapter or via a hand crank. It can even charge your cell phone with the proper adapter!
When a new alert comes on it is preceded by an annoying noise like the "This is Just a Test" noise on TV, which is then followed by a siren. But you can turn off both of these features if you wish.
I left them on but turned down the volume as it scared our foster daughters. I wanted to be aware when something new was happening.
We also talked calmly to the girls about what we would do if the tornado watch turned into a warning. We were already in the rec room in the basement, and we would all pile into the powder room and cover ourselves with pillows.
Just around the corner from the powder room is a storage room which has food and water supplies. We had our cell phones with us and our wallets and our laptops. That pretty much covers our lives, doesn't it? LOL!
Are you prepared should you have a tornado watch or warning? Have you designated a place where you would take shelter? Do all family members know the plan?
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