Hurricane Irene recently swept up the East Coast, bringing strong winds and heavy rain to communities along the Atlantic Seaboard. Throughout the storm, broadcasters served as lifelines for their communities, preempting programming to deliver round-the-clock coverage of the severe weather.

Many states, including Vermont and New Jersey, were impacted by record flooding in the storm's wake. Rushing water destroyed neighborhoods and in some instances, washed out roads and destroyed businesses and homes in its path. Broadcasters witnessed the damage and responded to the call for help by providing viewers and listeners with information about where they can obtain support and shelter, organizing radio and telethons, and hosting clean-up projects in their communities.

If your state was affected by Hurricane Irene or any other natural disaster this year, we encourage your station to send NAB Public Service stories of your community outreach activities and weather coverage. Email all materials to Allison Kreutzjans, manager, Public Service at akreutzjans@nab.org.

Station anecdotes are influential in reminding Congress of the importance of over-the-air broadcast. Additionally, some stories will be featured in NAB Public Service's monthly newsletter, License to Serve: A Chronicle of Broadcasters' Community Initiatives.