A local weather news and information web site is sponsoring a contest to give away an NOAA All Hazards Weather Radio to one lucky winner.
 
TopsailWeather.com, a Topsail Island area weather information online resource, will give away a Midland WR-100 All Hazards Weather Alert Radio to help promote weather safety and awareness. There is no obligation to enter and visitors can enter once each day to increase their chances of winning.
 
NOAA Weather Radios are special radio receivers capable of picking up special weather alerts issued from the National Weather Service. They are programmable for any area of the U.S. to respond to specific warnings in your area.
 
"NOAA Weather Radios are just as important to have in your home as a smoke detector," said Joe Ebner, owner of TopsailWeather.com. "They can awaken you at night in the event of approaching dangerous weather and give you time to get to a safe place."
 
Severe and deadly weather can occur at any time. Last November 16, 8 people were killed and over 20 people were injured in a tornado that struck Rieglewood, North Carolina - about 20 miles west of Wilmington. The twister devastated everything in a path about a half-mile wide and over a mile long. Among the dead were two children under 18.
 
The tornado struck early in the morning, when many residents were still asleep. Rieglewood does not have tornado warning sirens and many survivors said they had no warning.
 
Weather radios have been around for quite some time. However, in the last several years many improvements have been added. One technological improvement, known as SAME Technology, helps prevent false alarms and only alerts you when severe weather warnings are issued for specific areas you program.
 
The network has also expanded since 9/11 to include such things as terrorist attacks, chemical spills, and other dangerous events where people need to be alerted to take action.
 
Unlike TV and radio stations where there can be a delay in getting a warning out to citizens, weather radios broadcast alerts right from the source. There is no delay or third party involved. And, unlike a television or radio, a weather radio remains silent until a warning is broadcast and trips the built-in alarm.
 
"Although we will never know for sure, I believe the death toll in Rieglewood would have been less had residents had enough warning," said Ebner.
 
This is the second time TopsailWeather.com has given away a weather radio. The first contest resulted in over 4,000 entries. A local resident from Holly Ridge win the first contest.
 
Contest entries will be accepted by logging on to http://www.topsailweather.com/ and clicking on the contest link on the right-hand side of the home page. There is no obligation to enter and no purchase necessary. The only requirement is that a participant must be at least 18 years old.
 
About TopsailWeather.com
TopsailWeather.com is a local weather information resource specifically for residents of the greater Topsail Island area. The web site is updated every 15 minutes with current local weather conditions from an on-site weather station.
 
The web site also has the local weather forecast, off-shore weather, tide information, local weather news, tropical weather from the National Hurricane Center, and more. TopsailWeather.com also has a selection of weather tools for area webmasters so local businesses and bloggers can include real local weather on their sites.
 
For more information, visit http://www.topsailweather.com/