Last week's deadly tornado in Harrisburg has many people throughout the region thinking about the importance of having a weather alert radio.It just so happens, the state of Illinois is giving away 100 radios during the month of March, which it designates as Severe Weather Preparedness Month. Illinois Emergency Management Agency spokesperson Patti Thompson says you can think of the radio as your own personal storm siren. Thompson says weather alert radios are even more important when you consider that, according to the National Weather Service, nearly 30 percent of all tornadoes in Illinois occur after dark like the one in Harrisburg. She says the "Weather Alert Radios Save Lives" contest can be found at www. ready.illinois.gov.
To enter the contest, go to the website, click on the contest link and read a narrative about weather alert radios and take the five-question quiz. The contest opened the day before the Harrisburg tornado and Thompson says within two days, more than 1,200 people had entered the contest.
