Schools Across U.S. to Receive Emergency Radios

The federal government began shipping emergency radios to thousands of public schools nationwide last week in an effort to more quickly alert school personnel to an impending hazard, whether it’s a hurricane or a terrorist attack.

Three federal agencies—the departments of Commerce, Education, and Homeland Security—are spending roughly $5 million for the radios, which will be supplied to 96,000 schools, said Jordan St. John, a spokesman for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. NOAA oversees the operation of 950 short-range radio stations that broadcast news of...