"When the Sirens Were Silent"

[Mike Smith]

The person who thought he'd never write a book has a second coming out in mid-May: When the Sirens Were Silent which tells the story of the Joplin tornado and how the warning system failed to work as it should have that horrible day. It will be in soft-cover and eBook for at least Kindle and Nook. The softcover version will be priced at $12.95 and is full color.

My motivation for writing to book is to insure that we learn from Joplin to insure it never happens again. The book has another special feature which is tornado safety rules for home, school, and office on thicker perforated paper that can be removed from the book and placed where they will be most beneficial.

We already have four public appearances and we are working on more. To learn about the appearances, click here: http://meteorologicalmusings.blogspot.com/2012/04/two-questions-when-sirens-were-silent.html
Note: The Wichita appearance will include two survivors from Joplin who will recount their experiences.

If you would like to learn how to get an autographed copy of Sirens or my other book, Warnings: The True Story of How Science Tamed the Weather, you can do so and get the information here: http://meteorologicalmusings.blogspot.com/2012/04/thanks-for-book-orders.html

 

[Mike Smith]

When the Sirens Were Silent now has its first review: http://pielkeclimatesci.wordpress.c...system-failed-a-community-2012-by-mike-smith/

The Greensburg event is Saturday at 10:30am at the senior center.
The Kansas City event is Wednesday at 6pm at the main library downtown.
The Wichita event is Thursday at 7pm at Watermark Books. That event will feature two Joplin survivors who will tell their stories.
The Joplin event is 7pm at the Main Library on May 17th.

Please come and see the presentations. Storm chasers are especially welcome.

 

[Mike Smith]

The Amazon pre-order site is up: www.amazon.com/When-Sirens-Were-Silent-Smith/dp/0692017437/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1336181990&sr=8-1

 

[Greg Higgins]

Is this going to be available for the Kindle / eReaders?

 

[Mike Smith]

Yes, it will be available for at least Kindle and Nook and I expect it to be an iBook as well. The "official" release date is May 15 and it should available then. The pre-order site for the softcover book is here: www.amazon.com/When-Sirens-Were-Sil...=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1336166897&sr=1-1

 

[Mike Smith]

Watermark Books in Wichita tonight!! Details here: http://meteorologicalmusings.blogspot.com/2012/05/watermark-books-tonight.html

 

[Mike Smith]

Presentation in Joplin Thursday Evening

I'll be at the Joplin main library, 300 S. Main St., Thursday evening at 7pm to talk about the Joplin tornado and the issues with the warning system during that storm. Everyone is invited.

 

[Elaine Spencer]

In Jesse's blog today he said per your book the sirens did not sound... I'm getting confused

I just got the book and finished reading it. Yes, the sirens did sound twice, about 25 minutes apart. But they were silent during that interval when they would have done the most good -- before the tornado reached Joplin and when people still had time to shelter.

 

[Shane Adams]

Either way, the book tour should be successful, which is what this is all really about anyway. So well done.

 

[Joshua Nall]

It’s obvious that most people don’t know exactly how events transpired that evening, including myself, so if I were to read this book I hope I could come away with some facts. Just going off of what Mike Smith says here, and assuming he has researched it, sounds like things could have been handled better. Remembering though that hindsight is 20/20. Let me see if I have this right…. The sirens sounded in Joplin well ahead of any threat for a warning that did not actually include Joplin and the eventual path of the tornado. Then the sirens did not sound for the new warning which did include Joplin, and even then the information available was that the tornado would miss Joplin. The sirens did not sound again until the tornado was already in progress entering Joplin, but then went off as the tornado crossed the city.

At first mention the title seems a bit misleading, but if that is true then the sirens were silent when it would have been best for them to be sounding… after the new tornado warning was issued, obviously, and then after sounding again as the storm neared the city, continuing to sound as the tornado crossed the city. Some additional reasons for writing a book and placing a catchy title on it, other than having a successful book tour and selling lots of books (hugely important, considering the time and effort it takes) is to take a look back and inform and offer constructive criticism.

 

[Mike Smith]

and assuming he has researched it...

but then went off as the tornado crossed the city.

#1 The book is extensively researched.

#2. The sirens were silent as the tornado crossed the city as incredible as that sounds. The sirens sounded the second time from 5:38 to 5:41. The tornado crossed the western city limit of Joplin at 5:41. Joplin had a "policy" of sounding sirens for only three minutes at a time. So, as the tornado moved across the city, the sirens had been turned off. And, yes, they had battery power.

In contrast, Greensburg had a 5 minute policy but they understood the threat and kept their sirens on continuously until the power failed (no battery backup).

 

[Mike Smith]

When the Sirens Were Silent became available on Kindle yesterday. www.amazon.com/Sirens-Silent-Warnin...?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1337528885&sr=1-1

It should be out in Nook format in the next day or two.

 

[Mike Smith]

Was the EM aware of the tornado at that moment?

The sirens were sounded from 5:38 to 5:41 due to storm chaser Jeff Piotrowski pulling up alongside a Joplin police car and pleading with them to radio in to "get the sirens going." So, the EM had that report as he has acknowledged that is what caused him to turn the sirens back on.

Based on the 9-1-1 tape I have listened to, people were reporting the tornado as it moved across the city. The info was certainly available, what he was listening to during those minutes is unknown to me.

Rob: Sincere suggestion. How about reading the book rather than all of these questions? It can be purchased for as little as $2.99 (via Kindle) or borrowed at the library. I think you'll find it to be an interesting and useful read.

 

[Mike Johnston]

Put my order in through Amazon yesterday. There might be a 1-2 day delay due to low inventory. Can't wait to read it. After the scope of the Joplin tragedy became clear, one of the first thoughts that came to mind was "I wonder what Mike Smith has to say about THIS one." Especially after reading Warnings several times, was evident at least something must have broken down in the warning process. Very anxious to read about the details.

 

[Marpav]

The warning problem - public awareness issue goes a lot deeper than sirens. The casualties in Joplin didn't all happen because of siren problems. Many people did exactly what they could do to take cover yet the worst happened. I hope the book addresses some of those points, too. I look forward to reading it.

Edited to add.
I just read it. It is a quick read. It was interesting but disappointing. This was just a short write up hitting just the one note that warnings were messed up. It reads like an ax grinding. This could serve as a book outline, though. If fleshed out this could rival Bonar Menniger's account of the 1966 Topeka event. Also, a minor but annoying point, the introduction writer claims that the Springfield - Sturbridge, MA 2011 tornado was alarming close to Boston. No. It wasn't.