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COLUMBIA (WACH) - As we wrap up Severe Weather Preparedness Week, we want to make sure you are all set up to stay connected. In sudden severe weather such as a tornado or flash flood, your best defence is being informed and having a plan in place for your family.

The SkyWACH weather team will be your first step to staying connected.. Tune in to Good Day Columbia or WACH Fox News at 10 for a look at potential strong weather patterns. You can always check out our SkyWACH Dopplar Radar on midlandsconnect.com. If we tell you dangerous weather may be headed to your area, it's a good idea to have our WACH Fox app loaded onto your smartphone or tablet. If you lose electricity, you'll want to save your battery life on your cell, so we suggest relying on a NOAA weather radio for immediate notification and instruction for watches and warnings. Some NOAA weather radios will be able to autoprogram for your area, and others can be manually programmed with S.A.M.E. codes for the specific areas and storms that will impact your area. Here's a quick set-up guide to get you up and running:

1) Slide the rear battery panel off. Place the correct number and voltage batteries inside in their proper polarities and replace the rear battery panel.

2) Plug the AC adapter into a wall outlet, then into the rear panel of the weather radio

3) Turn on the weather radio using the on/off selector if the radio has one. Some weather radio models turn on automatically when supplied a power source

4) Set the time by pressing menu until "Time" displays, then press "Select" (or "Set" on some models). Press the up or down arrows to set the hour. Press the right arrow to move to minutes, then press the up or down arrows to set the minutes, then press "Select."

5)Set the alarm clock by pressing the up or down arrows until "Alarm" displays, then press "Select." Press the up or down arrows to set the hour. Press the right arrow to move to minutes, then press the up or down arrows to set the minutes, then press "Select." Press the up or down arrows to set the hour. Press the right arrow to move to minutes, then press the up or down arrows to set the minutes, then press "Select."

6) Set the channels by pressing the up or down arrows until "Channel" displays, then press "Select." (This will cause the radio to play.) Press the up arrow to select a channel in your area, then press "Select."

7) Set the county codes by pressing the up or down arrows until "SAME Set" displays, if you have a weather radio with SAME technology. If you don't, skip this step. Press "Select" so that it displays the word "Any." Press the up arrow and select from the three settings available: -Single for only one county. -Multiple for more than one county. -Any for all counties. For Single, press the up arrow to select "Single", then press "Select" to display "SAME 01" and press "Select" again to display "00 00 00". Use the up or down keys to set the the first digit, then press right arrow to continue to the next digit. Repeat this process until all six digits have been programmed, then press "Select." For multiple counties, complete the process for "Single," then press the up arrow to display "SAME 02" and repeat the steps. For "Any," simply press "Select." You can obtain the code for your U.S. county by visiting NOAA Weather Radio County by County Coverage.

8) Set the alert type by pressing the up or down arrows until "Alt Type" displays. Press "Select" to display "Tone." Press the up arrow and select from the three settings available:
-"Tone" which sounds an alarm. -"Display" which is silent. It displays a written message on the LCD. -"Voice" which sounds the radio announcement. Press "Select."

9) Set the alert test by pressing the up or down arrows until "Alt Test" displays. Press "Select" to sound the alarm. Press the up or down keys stop the alarm

10) Press the "Menu" button to complete the programming process

Here is a complete list of S.A.M.E. codes for South Carolina. Be a force of nature by getting prepared for the upcoming storm season.