Crystal Radio and Hurricane Audrey

One of my Christmas gifts in 1956 was a crystal radio kit. A crystal radio is probably the simplest radio conceivable. I built it and it worked. No electrical power required, it drove an earphone via the AM radio signal received. I could only hear one station, KTRM. It was kinda cool.

In June of 1957, out of the blue (literally), Hurricane Audrey came ashore a little east of Port Arthur and devastated part of the Louisiana and Texas coast. Tremendous winds and rain fell in our area and the power was out for a couple of days.

My trusty crystal radio, independent of power, still worked and I was the hero relaying news and directives from KTRM to the family.