5 ms·
Not reliable, as cell sites can go down in disasters, while the giant secured antennae that broadcast PBS and NPR aren't going anywhere.
by heavyset_go 1y ago
Not reliable, as cell sites can go down in disasters, while the giant secured antennae that broadcast PBS and NPR aren't going anywhere.
- dizlexic 1y agoI have NEVER tuned into PBS for weather and disaster alerts. Growing up in rural America I've seen this headline multiple times, but I'm 99% sure in my community PBS doesn't actually do any weather coverage during tornadoes or similar. You MIGHT get a required alert tone and a banner, but no radar or anything of real value. Our local news stations do an amazing job and they don't ask me to donate.
- heavyset_go 1y agoI spent over a week in an area that went without electricity and most utilities after a widespread disaster. By virtue of living through one previously, I had a generator hooked up to the gas line, so I still had power during and after this disaster. Internet access was down, cable was down, cell service wasn't there or was overloaded 2G that was useless, but I had did have OTA DTV. The local PBS partner station covered pertinent information about what was going on, recovery efforts, when/where to get fuel and other assistance, what kind of disaster relief to expect and when, etc.
- dizlexic 1y agoI understand my experience is subjective, but I'm actually a bit amazed. Thanks for the info, and I'm glad you had something. Something similar happened to me like 15 years ago, and I just had a AM radio.
- WalterBright 1y agoWasn't service supplied during the Helene hurricane with Starlink? When I was a kid in Kansas in the 1960s, the tornado warnings were done with a siren. And yes, we got hit by a tornado, but were safe because we heeded the siren.