Cities removing tornado sirens in favor of texts, media and Internet warnings

[Warren Faidley]

This topic has reached an all time high for number of responses on my Facebook page so I thought I'd open the discussion here.

There are a growing number of cities that are removing (or considering removing) tornado sirens in favor of Internet, media and text warnings.

RE: http://www.local8now.com/news/headl...s-to-get-rid-of-tornado-sirens-278795341.html

I can see the value of electronic communications, with the exception of private social media warnings because the information is often hyped, missing, incorrect or untimely.

I guess the question is how many people still rely on tornado sirens, are they effective as a warning system and are they cost-effective when so many people are using electronic methods?

Warren

 

[Jeff Duda]

I can see this happening as time wears on since the US is becoming increasingly dependent upon electronic and internet-based methods of communication. Sure, many older folks probably still use land-line telephones, don't have cell phones or internet, and maybe not even TV, so they probably still rely on tornado sirens for weather warning information. But as new generations of people continue to grow in a world they have known to be chock full of internet and text messages, and as costs for these methods of information dissemination become cheaper, I can see many local governments switching over. Eventually nearly every citizen in a local area will have an Internet connection and/or a cell phone connection such that they could be reached that way instead of by an aging siren.

 

[James Gustina]

I've got mixed feelings on this. Sirens are definitely not the most effective means of warning dissemination but it's also kind of a last line of defense barring the local EM/fire dept being totally incompetent. This electronics-only deal is well and good for people living east of the Mississippi or within a reasonable distance from the major interstates/population centers but say a tornado hits a cell tower in Beaver County, OK before it goes rolling into a town like Gate. You're pushing it with cell coverage out that way even in towns.

I do think this is a great idea for larger population centers to cut costs, but further onto the Plains away from OKC/Dallas/Wichita it might be a bit dicey.

 

[Todd Lemery]

I can see the removal of the sirens coming at an accelerated rate. Another reason for this happening, at least in my area, is because of the sirens being set off at inappropriate times when they should not be set off, or not being done in a timely matter. Sirens being set off when the threat is passed or when there actually isn't a threat lessens people taking them seriously. Having the alerts come directly from the NWS instead of less knowledgeable dispatchers brings more confidence in the warnings. It's just a matter of time before the sirens go the way of manual typewriters. They are still around, but not too many people use them

 

[James Gustina]

because of the sirens being set off at inappropriate times when they should not be set off

This has been a serious issue the past few seasons in central OK. I think it was April 17th of last year that Norman had it's sirens sounded for a SLC as a line of severe storms rolled through long after the tornado threat was gone. People were confused and actually thought there had been a tornado warning when in fact it had just been an EM going rogue because "that cloud looked scary" as it came in on the gust front.

 

[calvinkaskey]

Why are the alerts on regular radio so bad? I also don't always have my cell phone on, fully charged or with me when driving. I drive a fair amount. How do people that are driving ( which is probably much more dangerous than being in a house or other buildings) getting the warnings?

I had the radio on during my first real chase and never heard anything about the tornado warnings or funnel clouds. I heard about hail that was it.

Why don't we remove fire house sirens so we aren't confused about what a noise like that means.

 

[Rob H]

I'm fine with this. They just need to take flash flood warnings off the default EAS. It's annoying as hell being woken up at 3am thinking a tornado is going to kill me, when some place 30 miles away is getting a bunch of rain.

 

[rdale]

Why don't we remove fire house sirens so we aren't confused about what a noise like that means.

There are VERY few fire stations still using those sirens.

 

[John Olexa]

The town of LaPlata still use one at the fire house. They run about 2 test a year. They post signs all over letting people know testing date & time. It sounds for 30 minutes straight! I am about 5 miles outside the town limits. On my way home I passed the fire house while it was sounding and could hear it fading as I drove home. I could not hear it from my house.

 

[rdale]

By "fire house" we are talking about fire departments that sound the outdoor warning siren to alert their volunteers as a fire. Obviously you can imagine why that was a good idea in 1970 -- not so widespread anymore

 

[Jason Harris]

I'm not happy about it, nor do I like the fact that in the Bryan-College Station, TX area (where I'm living now) there are no tornado sirens anyhow. Is a text going to wake people up in the middle-of-the-night? And how many people who get weather radios are going to set them to "on," only to later get irritated and turn it off if a "severe thunderstorm warning" for quarter-sized hail is what comes through first and wakes them up at 4 AM. There's something visceral about the sirens going off. I think, though of course it varies, that most people would believe it's more likely there might be a spotter-indicated tornado rather than radar-indicated-strong-circulation, which might not actually be producing a tornado, when the siren goes off. And yeah, what about when the power goes out and people haven't charged their phones or laptops and tablets, etc. Or a power surge fries the equipment due to the lightning. Think it makes sense to have the sirens as another warning tool.

 

[Rob H]

I'm not happy about it, nor do I like the fact that in the Bryan-College Station, TX area (where I'm living now) there are no tornado sirens anyhow. Is a text going to wake people up in the middle-of-the-night?

You don't get a text message - you get a super annoying sound that will drive you nuts when you're chasing tornado warned storms all day and 4 phones in the car take turns stabbing your ears with a rusty landscaping spike.

 

[John Robinson]

I think sirens are OK IF people understand what they are supposed to be used for -- OUTDOOR warning purposes. In cities that have a lot of outdoor activities (jogging, kids' soccer games, going to the dog park, etc.), they are a good way to let people know that there is a weather threat. This is especially true in areas where the peak tornado threat occurs near the peak time of the outdoor activities. Several years ago, people in Little Rock specifically voted for new and improved sirens during an election for new bonds. So, the people wanted them and were willing to vote for them.

 

[Jeff Duda]

Is a text going to wake people up in the middle-of-the-night? And how many people who get weather radios are going to set them to "on," only to later get irritated and turn it off if a "severe thunderstorm warning" for quarter-sized hail is what comes through first and wakes them up at 4 AM.

I think this has been covered time and time again, but "the tornado sirens" are only meant to be "outdoor warning sirens" in pretty much every municipality that uses them. They're not intended to wake you in the middle of the night and warn you. Have you ever honestly been awakened by them when your windows were closed anyway?

The alarm tone on a weather radio sure is annoying and indeed may tempt you to turn it off if it goes off excessively with little to worry about. Like ANYTHING in this world, it tends not to work if you don't have it turned on. If you're that tempted to turn your weather radio off for a few severe thunderstorm warnings per year, then why bother buying the radio?

You might end up getting the same feeling if WEA alerts come over your phone overnight for severe thunderstorm or tornado warnings that end up being false alarms. You might as well take what you can get.

I bet there are citizens who would turn off the outdoor warning sirens if they could.

 

[John Farley]

I think getting rid of the sirens is a very bad idea. They can generally be heard outdoors and, in some locations close to them, indoors as well. All the research says that the more sources people can get warnings from, 1) the more likely they are to receive the message through at least one source and 2) the more likely they are to take the message seriously (i.e., if they receive it from multiple sources). So keep the sirens and also use text messages, warning alert software on phones, weather radios, TV, etc., etc. HOWEVER - it is a big problem when the sirens are sounded inappropriately. They should only be sent off in areas within the tornado warning polygon. Earlier this month, for example, it is my understanding that the sirens were blown on the SIU-Edwardsville campus for a tornado warning that was east of the campus (though in the same county) and did not include any of the campus. BAD DECISION by whoever decided to activate the sirens - now some of the people who heard them will likely take them less seriously next time, when a tornado could actually be headed for the campus. Sirens are a useful tool, but like any other tool, they have to be used correctly.