Carry A Noaa Weather Radio—it May Save Your Life

Freight Dog

Freight Dog

Novice
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
 
Randy said:
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
Click to expand...

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!
 
Mike & Lisa said:
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!
Click to expand...


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.
 
Last edited:
Pilgrim said:
Great tips guys. Ham for the tow vehicle is on the list.
For now I use GAIA for wild fire Areas as reported and satellite map of flares, which has been the bane of latesummer and fall campers in the West last 3-4 years...

Growing up in the midwest we learned early about tornadoes, and our lullabies were rain on the roof and thunder most evenings in late summer...
Some time flying for Uncle Sam learned me a bitmore about watching the sky.

High cirrus and lenticulars means watch out tomorrow. I check NWS local if there is a concern;
Like orographic lifting of moist air, thunderbumpers late, uphill of a wash area or canyon campsite...

WWA Summary by Location for 32.31N 106.78W with NMZ411/NMC013/NMZ112 emphasis Hazardous Weather Outlook

Night time lightning and thunder is not your friend in the desert. I stay ready to hookup and go in those areas.
Click to expand...
 
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.
 
Jenn said:
I strongly agree with this advice. (Imagin that is in caps and red.)

A couple weeks ago i was camping in the middle-of-nowhere-america and we were experincing tornado spawning weather at night, for several nights. 30-40 mph winds with gusts to 60mph. The teardrop was attached to the TV but it was a wild rocking night with hail and rain. In this situation there was no sleeping. (Yes, hail damage on teardrop.)

My weather radio was in the car. Pretty smart huh!? In this situation it was pretty obvious what was going on. But i am going to get another radio so one is in both places.

These little radios will also connect you to general daily weather feed. Typically they will give you weather even when you have no cell service.

Once, while driving north through southern Oregon I could see a mass of black clouds off to the west. I turned on the noaa radio and it described what was aheah for the area i was in. On advice of that I got off the road. A really snarky storm finally passed and I got back on my journey.

I could go in with a few pages of these kinds of supporting stories. If you are camping, there will be weather. Buy the radio.
Click to expand...

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...
 
Jenn said:
Very kind of you to offer.
However, the oitside of my teardrop is my storyboard. I want to put up the hatch, see thise dings and remember that storm. but very kind of you to offer.
Click to expand...

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 :D
 
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. :D
 
JohnC said:
Glad that worked out for the best. I've kept my trash bag in the galley overnight a few times with no problems....
Click to expand...

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...
 
Jenn said:
Yes. This thread is about safety. The trash situation was a learning moment. A slow learn but a learn.

Trash Pandas (raccoons?)
Same situation with trash! Once in texas raccoons were climbing onto the top of the teardrop via the propane tank. i could see them through the fan cover. It was raining so they couldnt get a good grip on the slippery aluminum and were sliding off. Something else for the story board.
Click to expand...

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?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top