The Emergency Broadcast System

[Cin]

Originally Posted by Kobi

I can see where having another level of alert can be a good thing in certain situations.

When we had unprecedented tornados in the western part of the state last Spring, it would have made sense to use the EBS. Tornados are all but unheard of up in these parts. We wouldnt and didnt have a clue what to do, what precautions to take, or how to be safe. The local tv stations news departments stayed on live, giving out advisories, safety tips, and warnings.

That makes sense to me. It was an unknown and tornados dont give you days of notice before their arrival.

What I dont get is....I live in New England. Snow is in our blood. Living in snow, driving in snow, preparing for snow, playing in snow, shoveling snow, plowing snow, hazards of snow.... is something we learn early on in life. Snowstorms are seldom a surprise event. Like hurricanes, it takes days of warnings before the actual event occurs. Days to prepare.

First time you walk in snow or drive in snow, you learn it makes the pavement wet and slippery and this is hazardous. You learn snow can cause falls and injuries and accidents. You learn to slow down, wear the right stuff, use the right tools, do stuff to minimize the risks if you cant just stay home.

Does it make sense to use the EBS to update what you have already heard for days, what you can see with your own eyes, what you should know from your own experience? I dunno. Seems to me, at some point, adults should be able to deduce things and deal with them without the helping and expensive hand of the government.

Having lived in New England all my life, well, until now, I totally get why you would be surprised. 4-10 inches is nothing. Not even enough to give a thought about. It takes at least a foot to cause concern. Maybe there is something more going on. I heard there were cancellations in the area so maybe the driving is worse than they thought it was going to be for some unexplained reason, maybe there is a lot of wind or something? I honestly don't get it. Unless they've decided not to clean the roads? That would make 4-10 inches a problem. I mean if they plan to leave it there. Seems weird though? I have never heard of the EBS doing this before. I guess that's why it's a question. I mean if they did it all the time we would be used to it by now. Why would they all of a sudden start?

Hell, I remember one particularly eventful winter in Boston when almost every time I turned around a foot of snow or more dropped out of the sky. It was horrible. After awhile the snow mounds from the plows were so high you couldn't see around corners and driving was a nightmare for most of the winter. If the EBS had started beeping for snow that year they might have never stopped.