I saw a report a week or so ago on ABC News about weather insurance.

Sometimes it's referred to as vacation insurance or travel insurance.

Several online companies are offering what they call "vacation insurance," deals in which they will reimburse any parts of a vacation that are ruined.  "We will cover them if their vacation is rained out," Jeff Boyd, CEO of Priceline.com, told Good Morning America.  -- ABC News

These days, more and more companies and services are providing weather insurance to protect you from things like rain delays at sporting events and concerts, as well. And companies are even offering weather insurance for those times when a complete change of plans are required (due to the weather) at your own outdoor events, including weddings.

Here's more about weather insurance...

You've seen storm chasers and weather spotters featured on the local and national news. Plenty of times, right?

What is the definition of a storm chaser?  A storm chaser is defined as a person who pursues imminent or existing severe thunderstorms, for any reason, and operates independently or as part of a research effort.  Source

Ever wonder how you can become an official weather spotter for the National Weather Service?

Well, I did it. I became an NOAA weather spotter. Here's how I did it...

I think this is a great idea... especially in this day and age, where people are using cell phones like crazy. I mean, it's hard to find anyone who's not carrying a cell phone these days. Even kids carry cell phones everywhere they go!

So, for me, there is a small feeling of relief knowing that the FCC will soon be broadcasting emergency warnings on our cellphones.

The plan stems from the Warning Alert and Response Network Act, a 2006 federal law that requires upgrades to the emergency alert system. The act requires the Federal Communications Commission to develop ways to alert the public about emergencies. Source

Weather radar can be a complicated thing to understand. But there are many great websites where you can learn about severe weather and track storms right along with the professional meteorologists on television.

While I don't recommend trying to out-guess the National Weather Service on where a storm might be headed, understanding a little bit about the radar and tracking storms on your home computer can help give you additional lead-time to prepare for approaching severe weather!

A NOAA Weather Radio can save your life. Period.

Every home, every office, every school should have one.

Do you live in an area where there are lots of tornadoes or hurricanes? We used to.

Ever had the roof of your house damaged by high winds during a storm? Thankfully, we haven't (yet). But when we lived in Florida (especially when we were on the tiny little island called Gulf Breeze, near Pensacola) "roofs damaged by high winds" were a very common occurrence.

But I could never find any step-by-step details for making a temporary roof using a blue tarp. I never understood how the tarp stayed in place until I saw some simple instructions for making a temporary roof in an old issue of This Old House magazine (March 2005).

Perhaps others might benefit from this information as well...

I saw this on CNN yesterday...

It was a summary of some of the best survival gear and survival kits for those who enjoy the great outdoors.

In light of the heroic, yet tragic, story of James Kim, it only makes sense to keep items like these on your person whenever you go out & about. (Even if you only keep them in the trunk of your car.)