Emergency Radio: Your Life, Batteries Not Included

As Hurricane Katrina released all its wrath, devastating several towns and cities in the United States in 2005, the Coastguard requested that those stranded hang out white or brightly colored linens or anything that could draw attention. The request was made through the media to speed up the progress of rescue operations. However it was not known if the message was received by the victims for the simple reason that the electricity through much of the area was out. This is exactly why emergency radios are important.

If you think you are prepared but your emergency kit does not contain a radio, you are wrong. Emergency radios are essential in surviving a catastrophic tragedy, be it a natural disaster like Hurricane Katrina or a terrorist attack like the 9/11. If you are trapped under a pile of debris and you can't find a way out, how are you going to communicate to the world? How will you let them know that you are alive, buried somewhere, waiting to be rescued? In situations where electricity is unavailable which disables television, cellular phone network service and Internet, your only hope lies in an emergency radio.

An emergency radio is specially designed for emergency situations. Ideally, it operated independently from batteries or electricity. Emergency radios are very affordable. Every household should have one in case disaster strikes.

One of the most effective emergency radio systems is EPIRB or Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon. Invented in the 1970s, it helps rescuers locate you in case you get trapped or lost. A modern EPIRB typically contains a 0.25-watt radio transmitter that operates at 121.5 MHz, a 5-watt radio transmitter that operates at 406MHz and a GPS receiver. This device is very sophisticated that a unique serial number is embedded in the signal it transmits to a weather satellite. The exact location of the radio can also be detected.

The more common emergency radios work almost exactly like ordinary radios. One of the primary differences is the power source. Most of these radios are not battery-operated and electricity independent. Some are solar-powered. Some operate mechanically like hand-cranking.