Did NOAA send alerts to weather radios in New Orleans after the levees failed?

Answer 1

My question from before still stands -- why all this concentration on New Orleans -- INSTEAD of where the VAST MAJORITY of Unpublicized and UNKNOWN Hurricane Survivors are!

Answer 2

I will answer the question, not state my political position. Here is my answer:

Most likely not.

NWR transmitters operate on electricity, which NOLA did not have at the time the levees failed.

Additionally, the forecast office in Slidell had been evacuated by the point the levees broke, and all normal duties performed by that office had been transferred to the office in Mobile, AL. The guys in Mobile would have no way of knowing that the levees had failed when they needed to alert people about it.

Even if they had known, all they could have sent was a Flash Flood Warning (for a circumstance similar to a dam break), for which most radios are programmed not to sound. So, even if they had, people listening to it (if it was even working) may have not been notified, anyway.

Answer 3

Real-time weather alerts silenced

Industry starts restoring telecom service to NWS after Katrina


BY Aliya Sternstein
Published on Sept. 19, 2005

Hurricane Katrina knocked out real-time weather alerts for much of the Gulf Coast, according to officials from Internet weather service provider WeatherBug, a company that feeds data to the National Weather Service.

But NWS, WeatherBug and telecommunications company officials have labored to restore communications at stations that transmit weather information.

WeatherBug, which shares observations with NWS through a public/private partnership, reported that 50 percent of its weather stations were not functioning shortly after Katrina hit the Gulf Coast.

Additionally, NWS reported that most of the agency's weather radio transmitters were not emitting signals.

Answer 4

No. I don't have a weather/hazard alert radio. I will try to search if my multi-band radio can receive signals from the frequencies 162,400mhz-162,550mhz. But you posted a very good question! Especially, for the mid west states. We have Cable TV weather channel. I have to find out what does the specific weather/hazard radio do. Thank you!

Answer 5

Listen..... levee failure was a political issue. If you don't build good levees they will fail. KATRINA WAS NOT A DIRECT HIT ON NEW ORLEANS!!!! Now.... work out why it was a disaster and you will see the social problems involved

Good answer sglmom