Siren Activations

[Mike Smith]

Finally, the City of Norman activated its tornado sirens around ~9:15pm last night for no good reason. The National Weather Service Forecast Office at the Norman Weather Center never issued a tornado warning. I've lived in the Norman 40 of my 44 years and I have yet to figure out the City of Norman's policy for sounding its sirens. There's no rhyme or reason other than someone at the switch got "skeered." I still remember June 12, 2009, when Norman's tornado sirens weren't activated until about 10:40pm, 16 minutes after NWS Norman issued the tornado warning and 10 minutes after the tornado touched down. The sirens were sounded about the time the tornado ended. Meanwhile, they sometime *do* activate for marginally severe or non-severe wind and/or hail. This is all very disappointing considering my hometown located at the severe weather "Mecca" should be the world leader in this regard.

The above quote comes from the "Target Area" thread.

While researching and writing When the Sirens Were Silent (my book about the Joplin tornado) I talked with a number of emergency managers (EM) and have continued those conversations (as recently as ten days ago in BNA). What I have learned is that, while there are a number of excellent emergency managers, most view weather from a different perspective than meteorologists and experienced storm chasers.

Here are the issues as I seem them:

• Since 9/11, there is far more emphasis on non-meteorological threats. Events in Boston and West, Texas, will only serve to further deemphasize weather threats.
• Most emergency managers have little, or no, training in meteorology. Their impressions of storm warning accuracy would be accurate if this were the 1980's but they often don't understand the huge advances in storm warning accuracy the last ten years.
• Emergency managers are usually politically inclined.
• Because of the above, they see little risk in overwarning and a huge risk if a tornado occurs without an activation.
• Since most work for county (as opposed to city) governments, they liked the countywide warnings and distrust the polygons.

Let me restate: The above are generalities. Not all EM's are of this mindset but most I have encountered are. It is going to take quite a bit of education to get EM's up-to-speed as to the state-of-the-science as it pertains to storm warnings and the considerable downside of siren overwarning.

 

[Mike Johnston]

One thing that's kind of curious about Bobby's specific observation, though, is the presence of the OK-FIRST program in Oklahoma. This program started in 1996 and places a menu of direct weather information directly in the hands of EM's and other public officials in Oklahoma. It also has educational training to foster inter-disciplinary competence on the part of public officials when it comes to critical weather situations. As I understand, this program has been very successful and has served as a model for similar programs across the country. So, while I'm sure your research on EM's as it relates to weather situations is well-grounded, it's just a bit of an head-scratcher that the EM's wouldn't be on the same page as weather professionals in the state of Oklahoma, especially considering the OK-FIRST program has been in existence for many years now.

 

[Jeff Duda]

The siren blowing was related to a report from a media chaser. One of the OKC stations had a chaser SW of Norman who claimed to see a funnel cloud along Hwy 9 southwest of town, whereas one of the other stations was saying at the same time that there was no real meteorological data to support there being a funnel cloud. Presumably, the EM went on the side of "caution" (as the OP gave reason for pretty well) and blew the sirens. Apparently, some people in town did legitimately report a sudden increase followed by decrease of wind in a span of a minute or two, but there was no structural damage reported and only small tree branches (twigs) downed by the sub-severe winds accompanying the event.

 

[Elaine Spencer]

Why should anyone have to "figure out" what their community's siren policy is for severe weather? There's no reason for it to be kept secret. Perhaps EMs should publicly announce, each year (at the beginning of tornado season) what that policy is. If they don't, then call or e-mail them and ask what the policy is.

Granted, EMs will also want to have some discretion in deciding when to sound sirens. There may be times when policies are broken for good reason -- for example, in Greensburg the normal policy was to run the siren for only 5 minutes at a time but on 5/4/07 the decision was made to leave it on continuously.

In the case of the Utica tornado on 4/20/04, the sirens were sounded by a firefighter who normally didn't have the authority to make that call, because he could not reach the fire chief:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/watchdog/chi-0412050232dec05,0,2165905.story?page=5

Steve Maltas, 23, a Utica volunteer firefighter with a trim goatee and a distinct aversion to small talk, was at the car wash in Utica's south end. He heard the report from the LaSalle Fire Department on his dispatch radio: A tornado was bearing down on them.

Maltas gunned his pickup toward the fire station, just up on Mill across from Milestone. He knew where the switch was to activate the tornado siren, the mechanical wail that would give his friends and neighbors a fighting chance.

He braked in front of the yellow-brick firehouse, cut the engine, raced inside and ran smack into a dilemma: He had no authority. Only the chief was supposed to give the OK to sound the warning. Another firefighter, quiet, blond Shane Burrows, 23--Rona Burrows' son--was there too. He had tried to reach Edgcomb, but the chief's cell phone was turned off--a requirement for the EMT class.

The two men had seconds to decide and what they decided was:

Screw the rules.

Flip the switch.

You can probably think of other instances in which the "rules" were broken for good reason. That said, there still needs to be a basic general policy or criteria of some sort (e.g. only for TOR warnings and only within the warning polygon).

 

[Mike Smith]

Elaine,

This issue is that there are many cases where there is no apparent policy except the mood of the EM. In the case of Norman, the sirens were sounded with no real threat last week but in April, 2012, was late in sounding the sirens when a tornado was on the ground.

Mike

 

[Kelly Sugden]

They are not called sirens anymore... the new name is outdoor warning alert system, or outdoor public warning system, etc.

EM's are stressing the word "outdoor". Due to better construction of homes, it is now becoming impossible to hear the alert from basements. That was not the original design anyway. People need to stop relying on outdoor warning alert systems and buy a handheld NOAA all hazards weather radio that properly coded and in working order.

 

[rdale]

Well, they still can be called sirens, we know what is meant

And the suggestion for a NOAA All Hazards Radio may be a good idea in 5-10 years when they are able to use the polygon, but until then a smartphone app makes more sense.

 

[Mike Johnston]

Speaking of the polygons, they've been in effect for - what - about 8 years now? How much longer is it going to take before the message deliverers catch up with the program? This includes EM's and NOAA itself. I seriously doubt it's a technology issue, more likely bureaucratic inertia.

 

[Kelly Sugden]

There was a program to update the NWR software/hardware but that was cancelled due to budget issues.

It's not bureaucracy, it's money... although yes, those issues go hand in hand often.

 

[rdale]

From an EM side, it's the good ole boy network at play. "My grandpa sounded the sirens for the whole county, and his daddy, and his daddy before him, so I'm going to too."

Plus a dose of "better safe than sorry" even though overwarning causes more sorrow than safety.