The radio system that keeps us safe from extreme weather is under threat
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In parts of the United States that frequently face natural disasters, NOAA Weather Radio has proven to be an essential service for emergency communications. Radio is especially important when weather turns deadly.
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While NOAA Weather Radio has historically been an important, consistent, and life-saving means of emergency communication, it may not be for long. Outdated technology and failed attempts at modernization are threatening the NOAA Weather Radio system and resulting in extended outages for locations at risk. And as the climate crisis intensifies, this important technology is often vulnerable to the weather about which it’s meant to inform.
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Interviews with NWS employees about outages reveal many local technical problems that take out communications, sometimes for weeks or months. For example, a tower located in Artesia, New Mexico, has been down since January because of a power issue with the transmitter. When reached for comment, some employees described an old system reliant on phone wires that connect the offices that issue weather information with the transmitters that broadcast it.
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Recent congressional action, however, has given new life to the possibility of systemic weather radio modernization. Rep. Stephanie Bice, a Republican from Oklahoma, has proposed the NOAA Weather Radio Modernization Act of 2021, which passed in the House of Representatives in May but has yet to pass in the Senate.
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