Emergency Broadcast/Awesome: Difference between revisions

* Severe weather warnings in general. Especially in the countries where the [[Emergency Broadcast]] systems were originally developed for [[Atomic Hate]] and [[The End of the World As We Know It]], that the systems were coopted into not only peaceful use but that they (despite being a [[Most Annoying Sound]] and an example of [[Hell Is That Noise]]) often provide timely warning of severe weather has saved many lives. If you want to know just *how* many lives have been saved by these, compare the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tri-State_Tornado Tri-State Tornado], a tornado event with zero warning aside from sighting the tornado, to the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999_Oklahoma_tornado_outbreak 1999 tornado outbreak] which was covered with constant warnings. 695 deaths happened in the Tri-State Tornado, ''36'' in the 1999 tornado outbreak. Even in worse tornado outbreaks in less prepared areas (the 2011 outbreak which was worse than the 1970s Super Outbreak), warnings and advances in warning technology have still ensured far fewer deaths than would happen with no warning at all or with insufficient warnings.

** See also the [https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/National_Weather_Service_bulletin_for_New_Orleans_region NWS bulletin for New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina]. This is [[OOC Is Serious Business|remarkably strong wording for an NWS broadcast]]--the report on the hurricane credited it with speeding the evacuation considerably. I live two thousand miles from New Orleans, and it gave me the chills when I read it.