JSU Student Develops Weather Alert Device for Hearing-Impaired
Population JSU News Bureau JACKSONVILLE -- August 22, 2002 --
Jim Davis, a Jacksonville State University distance learning
student who lives in Virginia, has come up with an idea to help
hearing-impaired people get weather alerts and other emergency
messages even if they're asleep. Davis, who first described his
idea in a term paper he wrote for his emergency management
course through JSU's on-line program, developed a device that
converts existing NOAA-type (National Ocean and Atmosphere
Association) weather alerts into lighted, vibrating signals,
which warn hearing-impaired citizens of impending weather
hazards. Davis, emergency manager/coordinator for Pittsylvania
County in Virginia, contacted a radio manufacturer who was
producing a color-coded LCD screen. On the monitor during a
weather emergency, the type and level of emergency is described
in text. The word "tornado" appears with a red signal that
indicates a warning; yellow means tornado w