Listen to Live Feeds on the Net

The Internet is loaded with spots that broadcast during emergencies. You might consider saving this section of the newsletter, just in case.

As you browse through these links, you'll see that some sites have standard fare -- news and weather, say. But they'll kick into action if there's a severe situation, usually gearing up with local TV broadcasts. For instance, during the Katrina fiasco, Weatherserver had three TV feeds on the air. The National Weather Situation also covered Katrina with six windows showing weather and satellite maps, and TV and radio feeds.

Television broadcasts are fairly common across the Net. There's Joost and MyTVPal and a host of others. My focus is strictly news: You can watch Los Angeles stations KCBS and Fox in your browser; DMZ has multiple live Los Angeles video feeds. Ditto for LiveNewsCameras. Sometimes AM-FM radio is a better bet in an emergency, so try Live-Radio.

I've been able to glean inside information by listening to police and fire department scanners. Finding the local scanner will take some digging, but it's worth the trouble. I have to admit that I love watching California police pursuits while listening to CHP and LAPD talk about what's really happening, especially when I'm on deadline (like, uh, now.). I covered this topic in a recent newsletter, so read Like Action? Listen to Police and Fire Scanners to find a few sites with scanners in your area -- or wherever there's a disaster.

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