August 2005

Weather Radios Part of Emergency Equipment Distribution Program

A bed shaker and a strobe light will soon help alert the deaf and hard of hearing in North Carolina when severe weather conditions or other emergencies threaten.

The bagel-sized shaker and high-intensity flashing light will be attached to a National Weather Service (NWS) radio receiver. The radio will be activated by the NWS to alert the public to certain severe weather events and man-made emergencies, such as chemical spills.

The North Carolina Division of Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing will soon begin statewide distribution of the radios and assistive kits to the deaf and hard of hearing. To qualify, a person must be a North Carolina resident and have a certificate of hearing loss.

The radios and assistive kits are part of the division's Emergency Equipment Distribution Program (EEDP), which is similar in scope to the Telecommunicatons Equipment Distribution Program (TEDP).

National Weather Service radios will be provided initially and other equipment may be added as it becomes available.