Gov. Jay Inslee has proclaimed October as Washington State Disaster Preparedness Month and NOAA Weather Radio Awareness Month. Consider a weather radio as your “first-alert” to the many types of hazardous events for which we are at risk in Washington State — from wildland fires and avalanches to floods, landslides and earthquakes, to name a few.

Here are the basics of what a NOAA weather radio provides:

• “All-hazards” warnings — not only for floods and storms, but for immediate life-threatening hazards like tsunamis, volcanic activity, AMBER child abduction alerts, and secondary hazards from terrorism and earthquakes;
• Warning alarm to alert you to fast-breaking, potentially lifesaving warning messages around the clock;
• Immediate emergency warning information via the Emergency Alert System that also serves television and radio broadcasters;
• Programmable features so you can select which warnings you want to receive by location and type of event;
• Battery backup;
• Broadcasts of the latest weather…