Friday Find: Listen to these tornado safety announcements from the 1960s

These safety announcements may have been played on early versions of what is now known as NOAA Weather Radio, a nationwide network of radio stations broadcasting weather information directly from area weather offices 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. NOAA Weather Radio grew out of the U.S. Weather Bureau’s experiments with broadcasting aviation-related information in Chicago and New York in the 1950s. In the wake of the 1965 Palm Sunday tornado outbreak, ESSA established a nationwide radio network to distribute warnings, initially known as the "ESSA VHF Weather Radio Network." The NOAA Weather Radio network was expanded in the 1970s, partially due to the "Super Outbreak" of April 3-4, 1974. Today the radio network consists of over 1,000 transmitters on frequencies throughout the United States, as well as in Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, and Saipan.

Here are the tracks, digitized from Side A of the record.

Please note that track 4 recommends opening your windows to equalize pressure. This is no longer recommended. In addition, laying in a ditch, as recommended in track 7, is now a last resort action. If outside, moving to safe shelter when a Tornado Watch is issued is now recommended.

1. Tornado WATCH

Transcript:
Don't gamble with a tornado watch. The stakes are too high. When you hear the watch, your ESSA Weather Bureau urges you to alert your neighbors and be sure members of your family stay near a safe shelter. Don't take unnecessary risks. Your radio or TV is a lifeline of information, broadcasting safety rules and storm bulletins. Keep it turned on until the tornado watch is over. The tornado may pass you by. Odds are in favor of it, but don't bet your life on it.

2. Constant Alert

Transcript:
The season of peak tornado occurrence extends through the month of June. But the ESSA Weather Bureau warns you that tornadoes can occur at any time, anywhere. Your safety depends on your being constantly alert to the possibility of their forming near you. A careful lookout should be kept during any period of severe thunderstorm activity for the possible appearance of the typical funnel-like tornado shape. Keep tuned to this station for official weather bureau information.

3. Plan Ahead

Transcript:
When an approaching storm may produce tornado activity, a tornado watch is issued by your ESSA Weather Bureau to inform your community. During the watch, observers keep a careful lookout for the development of a tornado funnel. During this period of alert, your radio is a vital link to official Weather Bureau and public safety information. Keep it turned on during a tornado watch as a safeguard and plan ahead for possible emergency measures for your family.

4. Home Safety Rules

Transcript:
In the home, your best haven from tornado winds is the wall of a basement below ground level. If possible, get under a heavy table or workbench. If no cellar is available, your ESSA Weather Bureau advises you to take cover in an inside closet or lie flat under a table or bed. Some have found an empty bathtub with a mattress for a cover makes a good emergency refuge. Open windows to equalize pressure. But stay clear of any threat of flying glass.

5. Vehicle Safety Rules

Transcript:
Any car or house trailer is a poor port in a storm of tornado dimensions. House trailers particularly, because of their size and lack of permanent foundations, are ready targets for tornado winds. If a tornado threatens your ESSA Weather Bureau advises abandoning your car or trailer to avoid being trapped in your vehicle. Lie flat in a ditch or ravine, if possible. Or take shelter in a reinforced building if one is nearby.

6. Office Safety Rules

Transcript:
To be ready for tornado emergencies, office buildings and factories should have a well-rehearsed plan of action. Your ESSA Weather Bureau recommends that workers be sheltered against inside walls, preferably below ground level. Auditoriums and areas with windows should be avoided. In last minute situations, a desk will serve for cover. If there is a radio available, keep it turned on. Remember, there is no substitute for advance planning.

7. Outside Safety

Transcript:
If you are caught in the open in a tornado, try to find a depression like a ditch or culvert to hide in. Lie flat, make as small a target as possible. If you can, wrap a covering around exposed portions of your body. Even small ground debris can cause serious injury when driven by tornado strength winds. Tornadoes have been known to impale a straw in a wooden plank. Your ESSA Weather Bureau urges you to memorize basic tornado safety rules. Your life may depend on knowing them.