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Bryan Norcross: Lack Of Radio Access During Hurricane Is A Public Safety Issue

State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory.

Last week, WLRN premiered part of its “Remembering Andrew” radio documentary Thursday to an audience at Miami Science Museum.

Bryan Norcross was an invited guest.  Norcross, of course, became famous for his ongoing coverage of and guidance during the storm.

During a panel discussion following the airing of the first part of the special, Norcross talked about his memories of the people he talked to during the storm and the region’s struggles afterward.

Norcross also had a warning for the audience. He said many things have changed since that massive 1992 hurricane.  Back then people relied on their transistor radios and battery-powered TVs to get information, Norcross said.

However, that’s not the case anymore.

“Because of the fact that so many people are cellphone- and Internet- dependent, if the cellphone system and the Internet system don’t work, you just have huge percentages of people that would not have the ability to know what’s happening.”

He said that this needs to be treated as a serious concern as people prepare for hurricanes.

“We need to have a concerted effort to get people to invest the eight or ten dollars that it takes to have a transistor radio and pile of batteries. This, in my mind, is such a monstrous public safety issue that it needs significant attention.”

Norcross feels schools may be the best way to address the problem: teachers can educate students as to the importance of a family radio for hurricane preparedness.

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