I was crusing around the Seattle/King Co. emergency preparedness website (http://www.metrokc.gov/prepare/) and ran across reference to NOAA Tone-Alert All-Hazard Radios. They say you can program them to just your county or to certain counties around you. Even though they are National Weather Service based, they will give notification of other disasters, such as earthquakes, volcanoes, chemical spills, Amber Alerts, etc. An audible tone makes you aware that there is a problem. The price range is wide: $20 - $300.

"During an emergency, NWS forecasters interrupt routine broadcasts and send a special tone activating local weather radios. Weather radios equipped with a special alarm tone feature sound an alert to give you immediate information about a life-threatening situation.

"NWR broadcasts warnings and post-event information for all types of hazards: weather (e.g., tornadoes, floods), natural (e.g., earthquakes, forest fires and volcanic activity), technological (e.g., chemical releases, oil spills, nuclear power plant emergencies, etc.), and national emergencies (e.g., terrorist attacks). Working with other Federal agencies and the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) Emergency Alert System (EAS), NWR is an all-hazards radio network, making it the most comprehensive weather and emergency information available to the public."

Does anyone have one of these? What is your opinion? Any tips on brands or models?

Sue