GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Fifty years after Gerald Ford assumed the presidency, Americans continue to benefit from one of his lesser-known but life-saving legacies: the NOAA Weather Radio.
Ford became president in 1975 during a tumultuous time in American history — in the wake of President Richard Nixon's resignation, post-Vietnam War, and nearing the nation's 200th birthday. While he's remembered for pardoning Nixon, granting clemency to Vietnam War deserters, and signing major legislation like the Privacy Act and Equal Credit Opportunity Act, his role in expanding America's weather warning system often goes unnoticed.
WATCH: President Gerald Ford's lesser-known legacy: the NOAA Weather Radio system
"NOAA Weather Radio has been around for over 60 years now, believe it or not. It was originally designed as kind of a way to communicate weather forecasts to airports in New York and Chicago, and then it kind of evolved after the super outbreak of 1974 to become basically America's governmental weather warning system," Jim Maczko, Warning Coordination Meteorologist (WCM) at the Grand Rapids office of the National Weather Service, said.
The Super Outbreak of 1974, when Ford was vice president, remains one of the most devastating tornado outbreaks in American history. Over April 3 and 4, 148 tornadoes touched down across 13 states, including Michigan. Thirty tornadoes from this event were rated as "violent" F4 or F5s, and more than 300 people died.
Ford had personal experience with extreme weather. While serving in the Navy in the South Pacific in 1944, Typhoon Cobra hit and severely damaged the aircraft carrier where he was stationed. Other nearby aircraft carriers sustained worse damage, and hundreds of soldiers died.
"The fact that he lived through that, I think he had a more personal sense of what it means to have that kind of early detection system," Ford Museum Director Brooke Clement said.
Ford wanted to ensure all Americans had adequate warning when severe weather struck.
"There were questions about the lack of radio systems in certain areas, and how can they make that better? So he was very, he was very into it, and his administration was very concerned about it as well," Clement said.
West Michigan has another connection to weather radio through the Old Kent Bank and Trust Company. Marty Allen, a vice president at Old Kent Bank and friend of Ford's, helped expand the system locally.
"A good friend of his, Marty Allen, who was a vice president at Old Kent Bank actually offered Old Kent Bank to kind of put several of these radios throughout the region, so that way they could help potentially save kids' lives," Clement said.
Old Kent Bank donated around 400 "WeatherAlert" receivers to be placed in schools. Once other banks learned about Old Kent's donation, they wanted to contribute as well.
"He really was a man of the people. He was concerned about his constituents, whether they were in Grand Rapids or the entire nation, and he he just wanted to make life better for everyone," Clement said.
In 1975, Ford authorized the weather radio standard as the federal warning system. Today, more than 1,000 weather radio transmitters cover more than 99% of the United States.
Weather radios provide up-to-date information when strong storms threaten your area, especially important given the severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings issued annually in West Michigan.
"Weather radio is really the smoke detector for weather in that it's designed to wake you up in the middle of the night in case there's a weather warning or a community warning," Maczko said.
The devices work when power is out and cell phone signals are unavailable — crucial for Michigan's remote cabins, lakeshores, and campgrounds with little or no cell service.
"It's very hard to find a spot that the weather radio wouldn't work in, where we very well know there's a lot of spots the cell phones still don't work in," Maczko said.
Recent catastrophic flooding in Central Texas serves as a reminder to have multiple ways to receive weather warnings, whether at home or traveling.
"They have battery backups. You can program them for where you're at. So it's an essential piece of your safety plan at home, but also your safety plan when you recreate or you travel to remote parts of the state of Michigan," Maczko said.
Weather radios cost around $40 or less and take only a few minutes to program.
"If you can help get one into your home and your business, you may help save some lives someday," Maczko said.
It's a legacy Americans still use today — thanks in part to President Gerald Ford.
For the latest details on the weather in West Michigan, head to the FOX 17 Weather page.
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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