San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
OLD-SCHOOL DEVICES COULD BE HELPFUL
When disaster strikes, don’t expect your iPad or cell phone to come to the rescue with needed information. Internet and phone service may go out during a fire, flood or earthquake, leaving you with little access to the outside world.
In these situations a battery-powered radio is your best way to get information on what’s going on. Consider the following:
Listen for a warning siren. The city of San Francisco, for example, will blast its sirens during a major disaster, which is a cue to listen in to an emergency radio broadcast. (The sirens are tested at noon every Tuesday.)
Tune in to AM radio. In the Bay Area, KGO 810, KCBS 740 and KNBR 680 carry regular news updates, and each is set up to run emergency information broadcasts from local authorities.
Consider buying an emergency radio. The radio includes channels that regular AM-FM radios don’t get, including essential weather and disaster broadcasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. To find your local NOAA station, visit: http:// www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/coverage/ stations.php?State=CA
If you’ve managed to maintain internet service, a few websites may be helpful:
U.S. Geological Service for earthquakes:
https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map/
Cal Fire for wildfires: www.fire.ca.gov/current_incidents Nixle for local public safety details: www.nixle.com/
Your county government website for local emergencies.
Social media sites for information on friends and family.
And reliable news sources, such as www.sfchronicle.com and www.sfgate.com
— Kurtis Alexander