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Radio's role in disaster reporting

W

wadio

This is something we've discussed many times, and I've been on the side of thinking that terrestrial radio may be unnecessary in case of an emergency.

But this morning our house shook and my first thought was that the furnace just below where we were had malfunctioned. I checked, and it seemed OK.

About 5 minutes later the NYC radio station we had on in the background said they'd received reports of a magnitude 4.8 earthquake being felt in the NY tri-state area and beyond.

15 minutes later I Googled "earthquake" (in the "News" tab) and there were no reports of anything.

Granted this was not an "emergency" but it got me thinking.
 
About 2-3 years ago there was a tornado watch over an area about 30 miles west of me, and I heard about it first when the EAS went off on the local station I was listening to. Then I switched over to the weather band, where there was continuous info on it. Tuning around the AM and FM band I didn't hear any talk of it -- although I'm sure it cropped up during later news reports.

Ironically, the local 2 Meter Ham band was nothing but hiss.

As for your internet search efforts, I'm not really too surprised. Search engines are not as good as they were even 10 years ago.
 
KSKO is considered ESSENTIAL by the city of McGrath in emergencies and disaster recovery, and that need/consideration has been strengthened by my efforts.

When the river starts flowing and we might flood, im on air with updates every day.... and in the case where it flooded, hourly, almost. i got calls one night 2 years ago and was on air from 9 to 1130pm on and off.. then back at it the next day between 6am and 3pm at least twice an hour... didnt give a good hootin darn what was on the air, potted it down, fired my news sounder and went for it.

When wildfire season happens, we REGULARLY broadcast wildfire location, size and advancement info.

I'm a full time staff of 1.... and right now, no other regular part time annonouncers.

In my case, in our case.. in this regions case.. they depend on radio toi know whats going on and im trusted to lead the charge and hold onto and build up 42 years of legacy.. i sure as hell am not going to let anyone down.
 
AbrahamJSimpson said:
The radio was the absolute last thing I thought of to look into things after that earthquake.
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Media wise, what was? Just curious.

I've been through at least 3 major earthquakes, and a few minor ones. First thing was call the relatives or friends to see if they're OK. Then check the house. Then worry about particulars.

News? it was from the radio. But the last big quake was in 2001. The last small one I found out about it by using my phone (local radio news didn't talk about it until a few hours after the fact -- it occurred overnight). I usually have a radio turned on so I suppose that's where I'd get whatever info about it now.

But most younger people don't have a radio. They use their phone for everything. Including emergency info -- if it's available.
 
I already had a newscast on the TV, and they confirmed it after a short time. But I didn't need "media" right away. A few quick texts with family and it was obvious it was an earthquake. Our local schools quickly reported all was well and buildings had been given an initial once over to confirm there was no imminent danger. A quick scan of a few headlines online and I knew all I needed to know.
 
Monday we got a major storm with excessive straight line winds and hail up to softball size. As it was east of town, complaints came in they received no warnings. Our station was reporting on it. The TV station nearby was scrolling constantly and doing frequent interruptions. The severe weather had been predicted 5 days prior. The complaint: there was no warning. My phone didn't go off. I never heard sirens. I asked if they turned on the radio or TV and say had they done so they would not have been surprised. These weren't kids. These were 35+ adults and mostly over 45. These are local people who know when severe weather hits, the TV station 30 miles away and the station I work for are all over it. Some actually turned off alerts on their phones now that we get alerts for all kinds of stuff and typically late at night. Nothing like a missing child 300 miles away waking you up at 3am.
 
AbrahamJSimpson said:
The radio was the absolute last thing I thought of to look into things after that earthquake.
Click to expand...
I didn't think to turn on the radio, I happened to have it on. There was no notice on my phone and without the radio I would have eventually found out it was an earthquake but it would have taken longer.
 
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