Carry A Noaa Weather Radio—it May Save Your Life

This upcoming eleventh anniversary brought this to mind for me and I wanted to share it with you.

Please carry a NOAA weather radio on your outings. It may save your life and that of many others along with you.

On June 10, 2010 the Little Missouri River flooded out the Albert Pike Recreation area in Arkansas. Twenty people were killed largely because they didn’t receive the warning from the NWS that heavy rain was causing a flash flood. The river rose approximately twenty feet in just a short time during the wee hours of the morning. People woke up to their campers being swept down river. The Albert Pike area is very remote and cell phone coverage was nil. If anyone would have had a weather radio, many would have survived.

I volunteered at the search and recovery. Families gathering just up the road at a church were hoping for a search and rescue, but we knew the score because we saw the aftermath.

Buy a weather radio.... it’s cheap, and, yes, it may needlessly wake you up, but it’s so necessary.

Swept Away - Part 1: River turns campground into deadly trap

 

Even better is the Garmin Explorer. Two way satellite text messaging which sends your location coordinates and an SOS function that will alert search and rescue of your location. Also has weather forecasting and navigation. Great peace of mind.

https://www.amazon.com/Garmin-Explorer-Satellite-Communicator-Navigation/dp/B01MY03CZP

 

Thanks, Randy, I have one of those too. It serves a good purpose when I go out hiking in the Ouachitas alone and need to get a message out. The weather forecasting on the Garmin InReach doesn’t quite fit the bill, however. A weather radio is constantly listening to broadcasts from the local National Weather Service office and will alarm you at any time if there is a severe weather threat that causes a warning statement to be issued; whether it be an approaching tornado, a flash flood, a hail storm, etc. I don’t think the InReach provides real time warnings of severe weather hazards that would be lifesaving in an emergency situation.

Something more like this with these capabilities.
https://www.amazon.com/Midland-WR12...ords=noaa+weather+radio&qid=1622929157&sr=8-3

 

Good point about the weather radio, the Garmin does not give active alerts. Weather radios are inexpensive too.

 

We had a 2-meter ham radio (which also picks up National Weather Service broadcasts) installed as a custom add by Camp-Inn. On our maiden voyage bringing the trailer home to California from Wisconsin, we evacuated our campsite at Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri due to tornado activity...and we got the word to get out of there via the radio. All ended well, and my wife was very happy I insisted on spending the extra money on the ham radio!

 

And you get to take part in an awesome hobby from your Camp Inn. SKYWARN nets are generally well run and good sources of information while traveling in the mid west and south. I’m asking for a pass through which will allow me to have an exterior antenna and a all-mode, all-band radio installed. Can’t wait to get my trailer in the spring.

 

Freight Dog, that's a good call. I have a scanner, adapters, and a switch that allows me to use a scanner as well, but normally I'm just using the 2-meter. I have a separate setup for HF with both wire and magloop antennas that I use outside the trailer or in the side tent. I have a separate battery and solar panel for that. I strive for simplicity and portability!

 

Skywarn and situational awareness is so important. A map and a google search of the local to find the frequencies for the repeaters is of high value. Especially during potential bad weather seasons. In the Midwest, that’s pretty much April to October.

Even if you don’t transmit. And please don’t if you don’t have a license. Skywarn is where the nws gets a lot if not most of their knowledge. Having a 2 meter radio can get you meaningful data several minutes before it goes out on NWS radio. That’s enough time to get to a shower house or safe building.

The best part is, the NWS has classes for spotters. Free. Take one. How do you spot a tornado at night? What is a wall cloud? What are the conditions needed to have severe weather?

I have personally been in the debris cloud of a EF2. East side of Indianapolis in 1998. Lawrence specifically. I wish I knew then what I know now. No one was hurt, but had I had better education and awareness…probably would have needed less underwear.

What I can tell you is debris flies everywhere, you can see nothing because the “fog” is so dense. The sound of a train isn’t accurate. It’s not loud enough. Lastly, a Saturn SC1 can be picked up by one. Fortunately just enough to feel “light” in my case….but I am convinced my wheels left the ground.

After several spotter classes, and much better technology I’m smart enough to know….a camper is not where you want to be.

 

The Garmin 750i has two way satellite capability with on demand weather. You won’t get an alert but you can get a weather prediction. You can also purchase a lightening degector which will give you a thunderstorm alert, distance, and estimated time of arrival.

 

This may be useful:

NOAA Weather Radio

 

Glad you were OK...

What kind of damage did you take on the trailer? These may be fixable --- not DIY. I have some expertise in this area, and once I see what your situation is may be able to give some advise...

 

I think your attitude is healthy.

I don't know how people can keep absolutely pristine anything, you will go mad trying too. Things get damaged, its just normal.

Especially on something like a trailer which is probably the single most abused vehicle on the road. Jerked down dirty rocky roads, through trees...A bump and scrape is inevitable, and embracing them probably the healthiest way to live

 

OK, enquiring minds just have to know more!

 

Glad that worked out for the best. I've kept my trash bag in the galley overnight a few times with no problems. But lately, I tend to walk my trash to the campsite garbage dump after each meal. I'd especially not keep it in the galley while in bear country. Besides, I could use the exercise.

 

Me too --- but the biggest thing I deal with around me is Trash Pandas....

One of my worries in places like Tennasee, Florida, South Dakota -- the places I get to periodically...is the things that I dont know...

3 times of knowledge...

1] Things you know
2] Think you don't know
3] Think that you don't know that you don't know

Its #3 that is the real dangerous stuff...

 

This fall I have a two week trip planned to Yellowstone and the Tetons. I may just pull up a chair and eat right next to that dumpster. LoL!

 

Yup..Racoons. Cute, ye tnot, little campground thieves.

2 years ago those little bastages stole about 10 pounds of dog food, and our favorite dog food tote. When I got back one was still sniffing around the galley...I 'hit him' with a LED flastlight when he, standing on his rear feet, arms stretched out, with bared teeth stared me down. Viscous little thing. At home -- he'd haver gotten a...shall we say...warmer reception. In a park though not much I could do.

But those can't rip open a trailer like a can of tuna. A larger bear can.

So, let me get this straight you set up a raccoon water park park on the galley hatch?

 

Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! I do need a radio.

 

We had a bear encounter on one of our very first camping trips with the 560 in Alaska. I'm delinquent in posting the complete trip report of those Alaska getabouts.