Get a discount on a NOAA weather radio

GREEN BAY, Wis. (WBAY) - WBAY’s First Alert Weather meteorologists and Midland Radio have teamed up to help you better prepare for severe weather.

Midland Radio is offering special pricing on corded and portable NOAA weather radios. CLICK HERE and use promo code “SPANN25” (without quotation marks).

Weather radios sound an alert when there are severe weather watches and warnings where you are.

ReadyWisconsin.gov encourages people to be prepared with apps and settings on their mobile device to warn them of impending severe weather and have a NOAA weather radio in their home. Some communities are doing away with outdoor sirens, citing the prevalence of smartphones and wireless alerts and the cost of upkeep of the sirens. Make sure your phone has Wireless Emergency Alerts enabled (it’s usually found in the Settings, or check with your mobile provider).

The alarm from corded radios with a battery backup is more reliable indoors than community tornado sirens which you might not hear through the walls of your home or while you sleep. Portable weather radios can be more reliable than community sirens or smartphones because you’ll hear the alert no matter how far away you are from a tornado siren or cell tower, and you never have to worry about your cell service provider pushing an alert to you late.

Get special pricing on Midland Radio’s NOAA weather radios. CLICK HERE and use SPANN25 as the promo code.

ReadyWisconsin encourages you to check the weather forecast daily for a heads-up on the potential for bad weather, especially since it’s a severe weather season. In Wisconsin, May through August is peak tornado season.

You can get weather information anytime you want with our First Alert Weather 24/7 channel on WBAY-TV 2.2 (check your cable listings) and online at https://www.wbay.com/livestream2, as well as the WBAY First Alert Weather app available on the Apple App Store for iPhones and iPads and Google Play for Android smartphones and tablets.

In case of a tornado:

Move to a designated shelter, such as a basement, and get under a sturdy table or the stairs
If a basement isn’t available, move to a small interior room on the lowest floor and cover yourself with anything close at hand, such as towels, blankets, or pillows. If possible, get under a sturdy table, desk or counter.
Stay away from windows. Put as many walls as possible between you and the storm.
Anyone in mobile homes should leave the building and go to the designated storm shelter or the lowest floor of a sturdy, nearby building.
If you’re outdoors, find shelter in a sturdy building. If you’re unable to quickly walk to the shelter, get into a vehicle, buckle up, and drive to the closest sturdy shelter. If you run into flying debris while driving, you should pull over and park.
If you’re driving and forced to pull over and park, there are two options as a last resort: You can either stay in the vehicle with the seat belt on and place your head below the windows; or, if you can safely get noticeably lower than the road, get out of the vehicle and lie in the area, covering your head with your hands.
Do NOT seek shelter under an overpass -- despite what you’ve seen in movies.

A disaster may force you or your family to evacuate your neighborhood or confine you to your home.

Officials recommend having a disaster plan for your family, as disaster can strike at any time, whether it’s severe weather or a house fire. Your plan should include how family members will find each other if you are separated (such as a meeting place or a relative outside the area that everyone should call). The plan should also consider what you would do if basic services were cut off, such as water, gas, electricity, and phone.

Items to include in a disaster kit:

A battery-powered NOAA weather radio
A 3-day supply of water and food that won’t spoil
One change of clothing per person
One blanket or sleeping bag per person
A first aid kit, including prescription medicines
Emergency tools, including a portable radio, flashlight, and plenty of extra batteries
Special items for infant, elderly, or disabled family members
Don’t forget about your pets and their food and medicine