Those born and raised in Louisiana have experienced many disasters, from historic floods in 1995 and 2016 to famous storms like Katrina, Laura, and Ida. These events closed highways, cut off power supplies, left people stranded in their homes, and forced thousands more to flee to neighboring states.
AM radio has been a huge part of our response and recovery process. Having worked as an emergency management professional for the state for many years, I can attest to how important it is for the people of Louisiana to have access to AM radio during a crisis. That's why I'm so glad Congress is working overtime to pass the AM Radio for Every Vehicles Act, which will protect this lifesaving device for future generations.
Louisiana has two AM radio stations, WWL in New Orleans and KWKH in Shreveport, that can broadcast across multiple states at night. During Hurricane Katrina, many residents evacuated to states such as Texas, Florida, and Georgia for several months. We were able to hear the latest information directly from community leaders so we could make decisions and understand the extent of the damage to our communities. Visitors trying to navigate the area were also readily provided with information on finding local resources.
If automakers are allowed to continue removing AM radios (which the government has already spent millions of dollars hardening to withstand even the worst disasters) from car dashboards, the next big disaster tens of thousands of Louisianans could be left in the dark.
Fortunately, a broad bipartisan Congressional coalition, including Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and Senator John Kennedy, currently supports AM radio legislation. Thanks to their leadership, the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing on the bill on April 30th.
Congress, led by Louisiana legislators, should capitalize on this recent momentum by passing an AM radio for all vehicles law as soon as possible.
thomas jordan
Metairie
Thomas Jordan is a former emergency response coordinator for the Louisiana Department of Health. During his 30 years of public service, he held multiple response positions in the Department of Children and Family Services, the Department of Administration, and the Department of Health.
