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Tornado Warnings
Last year I asked if any communities used sirens for this. This years question is, when is it sounded? For instance, our community DERA (Designated Emergency Response Authority) will only allow us to sound the siren when a tornado is actually spotted. I feel this is too late and wonder how much we open ourselves up to a lawsuit happy nation. I feel, when the National Weather Service gives us the warning for our area, we should immediately sound the siren. This gives the community ample time to take shelter and get their final preparations taken care of. Many of you live in, "tornado alley", how is it in your neck of the woods. Even for those of you in other states outside of this region, I'd like your input.
The following picture occurred during our annual Fourth of July Rodeo while we were setting up the fireworks display. We asked the DERA if we should take shelter but he felt this was 40 miles away and no need to worry. I beg to differ.
Notice how many didn't see this and were focused on the opening ceremonies of the rodeo.
The following picture occurred during our annual Fourth of July Rodeo while we were setting up the fireworks display. We asked the DERA if we should take shelter but he felt this was 40 miles away and no need to worry. I beg to differ.
Notice how many didn't see this and were focused on the opening ceremonies of the rodeo.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Paul Acosta on
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The date is wrong on my camera. Sorry, but I changed the batteries that day.
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Permalink Reply by Mike Russell on
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Ours are activated whenever the National Weather Service issues a Tornado Warning for our county. They have been considering doing it for severe thunderstorms also.
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Permalink Reply by John Crabbe on
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So you guys sound your own sirens? The county doesn't automatically do that with asevere weather warning?
The problem I see here is that your DERA must think a tornado is the only hazard associated with severe weather in order for the sirens to be activated. There can be ample potential for damage which would require activation of sirens without a tornado ever being confirmed, either by radar or visual. Seems to me your DERA needs to get their heads out of their behinds and if I was living in that area I would be making a notification to the public about such a lamebrain policy as mentioned.
For us here, the county will activate the sirens whether there is a sighted tornado or not. If radar picks up a potential tornado, the sirens are activated, storm spotters tend to call in to confirm a sighting. There is no reason to await visual confirmation to alert people to potential danger.
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Permalink Reply by Ben Waller on
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This photo would be an example of "too late" to sound the sirens.
Adequate warning time saves lives.
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Permalink Reply by Doug on
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Sirens in my county are sounded even for a Severe Thunderstorm Warning, as well as a Tornado Warning. They can either be set off by county dispatch, or individual departments. We adopted this policy for severe thunderstorms as well, because we were left hanging by the NWS on a couple occasions, over the years, in which tornadoes were already on the ground, leveling communities and no warning given.
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Permalink Reply by Aubrey Hill on
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Our department is located in tornado alley, with that being said we sound our own sirens when we feel it is needed. We go by both the NWS and visual information. We are activated by our county's Emergency Preparedness personnel or when we see that there might be a weather related issue that would affect either our local area or one of our neighboring departments.
In the above photo our sirens would have been blaring and our designated trucks would have been running routes through town to make sure that people at events like the one above would be notified with as much time to take cover that we could give them.
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Good point, your second one that is. It's a nice SOP/SOG to have. My department does this as well, if given enough time. We disperse, so all of our eggs aren't in one basket and if we know there is something going on outdoors around town we make sure they are aware.
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Permalink Reply by Oldman on
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Were there warnings posted for your area? If so, it probably would have been prudent to sound an alert. Perhaps your DERA, has not seen that many tornadoes in your area, and might not have a clue. Or, maybe he does know something about the physiology of storms, and was monitoring the situation.
However, as someone who chased storms for many years, your photo looks to be of what is called a "low energy" funnel. Something that is quite common for early summer in your area. Usually, they just dangle for a few minutes and never reach the ground. The storm which produces a funnel like this is not strong enough to support it very long. It is doubtful that the NWS Doppler radar would even pick this up unless it was close to the radar site. A spotter report to the service would alert them to watch this cell a little closer, and they may or may not issue a warning.
While I agree that early warning gives people the best chance of surviving a storm, emergency managers and the weather service meteorologists have a fine line to walk when it comes to early warning. Repeated early false warnings develop complacency with the citizen population, and they quit paying attention. If they wait too long, then lives are lost. It can be a no win situation.
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Permalink Reply by Bull on
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Im jealous....our county dont even have Tornado sirens !!! Our Emergency Management Coordinator for the county told us, she doesnt believe in them, WHY you ask ???? Because she lives in the country, and if she cant hear them, no-one should....hows that for an answer. Now your thinking, how does she keep her job...well...her father in-law is the county board president, and its a county hire. We as a town are trying to get a grant to purchase one, then the fight will be getting her permission to have dispatch install in their system so they can trip it. Crazy....yeah, but this is just the tip of the iceburg with her. Cool pic by the way....
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Permalink Reply by Rob on
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In the Pittsburgh area we rarely get tornadoes forming but do get the nws warnings once or twice a year. This county is so f'ed up in it's emergency management and since everything is controlled at a township level (yes, even in 2010 we have more than 200 individually run fire depts in one county) there is virtually zero chance of the area coming to an agreement on how to deal with this kind of thing. About half of the fire departments still use sirens for call alerts, so the public is used to hearing them going off all time, and with the topography many places wouldn't hear them anyway. There is an enormous amount of work to do to make something work here.
The local tv and radio stations broadcast all weather warnings immediately, and the main dispatch center also passes along severe weather warnings over the 20+ dispatch frequencies.
You'd think that in this day and age there would be NATIONAL guidelines and procedures for this sort of thing wouldn't you...
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Permalink Reply by Wade Seely on
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I remeber a tornado about 4 years ago in not too far away in Sterling, CO where the alarm didn't sound until after the tornado had already torn through town. I feel that it should be sounded if there is a warning in the specific area, or one on the ground in a nearby area. Why take any chances.
By the way nice photo, it's good see the old fairgrounds again, (lots of good times spent there).
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