During severe storms like tornados and hurricanes, a weather radio can provide life-saving information, but in one North Central Florida county, when the power goes out, so does the signal on your weather radio.

As many people in Gainesville found out this past Friday, the radio transmitter that supplies weather information to Alachua County is powered by electricity, and stops working when the power goes out.

Meteorologists from the National Weather Service say many of their 990 transmitters across the nation have back-up power generators, but confirm that the one in Alachua County does not.

That scares many residents who say they depend on the weather radio in times of need.

"You can change batteries, you can change locations, you can pull up antennas, but you have no weather coverage from anywhere when the power goes out," said Gainesville resident Charlotte Aho.

U.S. Congressman Cliff Stearns says that Congress has already set aside 2.9 million dollars this year for the National Weather Service to buy more generators, but says he would approve additional funding to get one in Gainesville.

By David Hamilton/WCJB TV20 News