Sirens are designed to alert those who are outside, not those who are inside. The Johnson County Emergency Management & Homeland Security website advises, “Designed as an outdoor warning system, the sirens should not be relied upon to provide sufficient warning indoors or in noise areas. Air-conditiong, thunder, wind, rain and other conditions can cause the sirens not to be heard indoors or outdoors (even if sirens can be heard during tests).” In addition, the website tells citizens to be aware that sirens can malfunction and do not give the specifics of where a storm is coming from or where it is heading.
Sirens should be used as a “heads up” and are just one part of the warning system which should include NOAA weather radio, the Emergency Alert System, and emergency notifications such as A+ Weather Alerts.
Before a Tornado Threatens:
- Have your NOAA Weather Radio plugged in with back-up batteries.
- Know where you’ll take shelter
- Use the outdoor siren as a signal to go inside and get more info
- Pay close attention to warnings that are targeted for your area
- Be prepared to move quickly. Don’t wait for it to arrive before taking shelter
Tornado Warnings: Hide or Seek
“I’m looking at the tornado” is not what those of us who spend our careers trying to keep people safe want to hear. So far this season, windows have been blown out while people were gawking at the sky, storm chasers have put themselves in harm’s way and too many have used the tornado warning as a time to reach for their cell phones and cameras.
Hundreds of people tragically lost their lives even when they took as much precaution as possible, but even more were fortunate to survive the devastation because they did take precaution. Not taking the proper actions to ensure safety puts you directly in harms way.
When a Tornado Threatens:
- Take it seriously. Don’t panic. Evaluate your situation
- Find your weather radio instead of your camera
- Go to shelter rather than windows
- Leave storm chasing to trained professionals