In light of the tornadoes that struck near Raleigh and Lumberton in North Carolina and near Dillon South carolina now is a good time to discuss the various ways that people can be warned of a disaster. These warnings can reach the public through many means. I will try to discuss the ones that I am familiar with, but this is just from my own personal experience and may not be every possible way that disaster warnings can reach the public.
The first and most obvious way that the public can be warned of a disaster is through the television. This is most likely how the public will get there disaster information. The only draw back to this is the fact that there must be power or batteries to operate the television, and the station must also be transmitting. Also the television must be turned on as most televisions will not automatically turn on when the emergency broadcast system is initiated.
If television is not available a weather radio could be purchased for a relatively inexpensive price. With a weather radio the public will be alerted as warnings are issued. This radio also requires that a transmitter be active. Power is also required whether from commercial mains or batteries. Most places have these radios set up as a precaution in case no one is near a television. These radios will automatically turn on when a watch or warningis issued for the given area.
If an internet connection is available it will provide the same warnings as the weather radio. However, a person will have to go to their national weather service web site to obtain this information. This information is usually found under the watches/warnings link on every national weather service page.
Most television stations provide a text alert to anyone who wants this service. Depending on the station they may or may not charge for this service. This service will send a text message to any cell phone or personal digital assistant whenever watches or warnings are issued. This is the most flexible option because the public can receive these messages anywhere they have a signal on their phones or personal digital assistants. Again the only draw back is that if someone wants accurate information they will have to keep their device on. This also applies to televisions or weather radios as wel.
The last way that I am aware of that disaster warnings are issued is through a service called weather call. This service, as far as I know, is only provided through wpde the local television station here in horry county. This service works as follows. When a watch or warning is issued anyone who has signed up for this service will get an automated call from the meteorologist informing them of the watch or warning and advising them as to what they should do. As stated above I am not sure if any other television stations have started using this or a similar service, but it is available as one more option, and I know that at least with wpde anyone who wants this service will have to pay $6.95 a year for the service.
I am sure that these are not the only ways that watches and warnings are relayed to the public, and as stated above this is most likely not an exhaustive list as it is just from my own personal experience. After this training topic I hope that everyone has been informed of the various ways that they can receive watches and warnings in times of a disaster and that they will make an informed decision as to which method is best for them.