Natural disasters come in many shapes. From incomprehensible carnage of last weekend’s tsunami in Indian Ocean, to hurricanes and typhoons, to tornadoes and drought, our world deals with horror of disaster as a normal part of our lives. Throw in a bit of human influence through wars, terrorism, or threat of weapons of mass destruction, and our need to deal with and overcome calamity almost becomes routine.

Watching CNN and news channels gives a near real-time view of disasters. While some may find this a bit macabre, it also shows our ability to quickly respond to major events, on a global scale. The same technologies that allow us to view aftermath of a tsunami also allow us to quickly gather factual data on extent of a disaster, and use that for disaster planning and response.

Organizations such as Pacific Disaster Center (http://www.pdc.org/), Asia Pacific Area Network (http://www.apan-info.net/), try to assist regional nations to build better disaster planning models and response model through training and timely dissemination of critical information. Regional military organizations participate with each other on joint disaster planning (for other than wartime-related disaster) to organize their resources in response to a regional disaster, and can respond within hours to major problems.

While carnage on scale of Indian Ocean tsunami cannot be controlled within a day or a few days, communications and real time information collection on disaster will most certainly reduce level of misery experienced by victims at a level that would not have been possible even 40 years ago. As aircraft and on-site persons (using satellite phones or other powerful mobile communicators) collect information on areas of Sumatra, Thailand, and other affected areas, information is almost immediately being logged, evaluated, distributed, and prioritized among a number of emergency response centers operated by regional governments - as well as international relief agencies.

Satellite radio is becoming more and more popular, both with discerning listeners that want more choice and better quality, and with those that have had to put up with a lot of static in past and are unable to get a clear reception on AM/FM radio. You can get some really affordable deals on satellite radio these days, so enjoying crystal clear, uninterrupted, diverse entertainment has never been easier. You can get satellite radio installation for your car or your home, and by making some comparisons you can enjoy some excellent deals on satellite radio accessories. You will need a satellite radio antenna and a satellite radio receiver in order to enjoy this service, but again you get some excellent deals and offers when you go online.

There are many reasons why satellite radio is becoming more and more popular, and between them Sirius and XM already have around three million subscribers. So, why would you want to get satellite radio and pay a monthly subscription when you can get AM/FM radio for free? You’ll find a selection of most popular reasons for satellite radio purchase listed below:

Reasons for choosing satellite radio

More choice: satellite radio from Sirius or XM offers an incredible choice of channels. You can enjoy over one hundred channels of pure entertainment from these satellite radio providers, including music, sports, talk radio, news channels, and more. The choice of channels means that you can enjoy a wide range of niche programming as well, so whatever your taste or need you are almost certain to find something well suited to your requirements with satellite radio.

Excellent quality: With satellite radio you can enjoy CD quality in radio format. The digital quality of satellite radio means that you can enjoy vast range of entertainment with crystal clear sound quality. You won’t have to put up with static and fading reception any longer, as is often case with AM/FM radio. With satellite radio you can enjoy pure, high definition digital sound to accompany wide choice of quality entertainment.

Commercial-free channels: Unlike AM/FM radio, satellite radio offers some commercial-free channels, so you no longer have to put up with constant interruptions to your favourite music or show. With satellite radio, you can enjoy back to back entertainment without commercials and chat to interrupt flow and entertainment value.

Wider accessibility: Many of us take radio accessibility for granted, but not everyone can gain proper access to AM/FM radio. For example, those living in more rural areas may simply end up hearing static most of time. Since satellite radio is available all over Continental United States, this means that even those in normally hard to reach areas can enjoy satellite entertainment and clear, defined, digital sound.

Choice of subscriptions: There are currently two main players in satellite radio field, and these are Sirius and XM. With both of these satellite radio providers you can enjoy a wide choice of subscription packages, so whatever your budget you should be able to find perfect deal enabling you to enjoy high definition digital radio at an affordable price. You can enjoy paying on a monthly, annual, two yearly, three yearly, four yearly, or five yearly basis with XM. And with Sirius you can pay on a monthly basis, annually, two yearly or you can even buy a lifetime subscription.

Multi location listening: With satellite radio you can listen to your favourite music and shows in more than one location, which means that you can quickly switch satellite service from your car stereo to your home entertainment system. You will still pay just one satellite radio subscription fee – all you will need to do is buy a portable satellite receiver.