Mobile County EMA Provides NOAA Weather Radios to ALL Mobile Public Schools

Posted on: Feb 5th, 2025 | News and Announcementsfeatured newsPress Releases

 

MOBILE COUNTY, Ala – As part of its commitment to proactive preparedness and community safety, on Feb. 5, 2025, Mobile County EMA provided pre-programmed All-alert NOAA Weather Radios to all public schools in Mobile County.

 

Mobile County EMA applied for and received a grant from the Alabama Association of Resource Conservation and Development Councils (RC&D), which funded these weather radios and will help protect the nearly 60,000 students, as well as school employees, in 102 schools across Mobile County Public School System and Mobile County’s city school systems: Chickasaw, Saraland, and Satsuma.

 

NOAA Weather Radios are proven life-saving devices that provide immediate broadcasts of severe weather warnings and civil emergency messages, giving those in harm's way critical lead time to respond and remain safe.  

 

“These radios in the right places will give our school leadership the information they need to make decisions that put children in the right place at the right time to be safe in weather incidents,” said Mobile County Emergency Management Agency Director Mike Evans.

 

Representatives of the public school systems were given the weather radios by Mobile County Emergency Management Agency Director Mike Evans and Jason Beaman, Meteorologist in Charge of National Weather Service Mobile-Pensacola.

 

When severe weather threatens a local area, the National Weather Service issues alerts based on radar data, storm spotter reports, and meteorological conditions. These warnings are sent instantly through the NOAA Weather Radio System, triggering alerts on the area-specific programmed weather radios.

 

“A weather radio is an important part of home and business safety toolkits. Any time severe weather hazards threaten our area, alerts are broadcast that say what the threat is and how people can protect themselves," said Jason Beaman, Meteorologist in Charge, National Weather Service Mobile-Pensacola. “We appreciate what Mobile County EMA and the Alabama Resource Conservation & Development Council have done to help keep students and employees of these school systems well-informed during weather events,” he added.

 

Having pre-programmed weather radios in all public schools in Mobile County will ensure that potentially life-saving messaging reaches schools immediately, enhance school safety by giving educators and administrators direct access to emergency alerts, and support Mobile County’s emergency preparedness/reinforce safety protocols across all four school systems.