Tornado sirens alert residents
By Joey Berlin
Originally published 04:51 p.m., July 9, 2008
Updated 06:43 p.m., July 9, 2008
A tornado warning was issued for Lyon County at 4:23 p.m. by the National Weather Service, a county sheriff's official said early Tuesday evening.
Sirens sounded intermittently, and the sheriff's office warned for people to take cover.
The Gazette spotted two apparent, unconfirmed funnel clouds. The first was spotted about 15 miles west of Emporia Municipal Airport at 4:33 p.m. and receded about a minute later. The second was spotted approximately 15 miles west of Road 70 and Road E at 4:38 p.m. and receded a couple of minutes later.
equalrights (anonymous) says...
I don't think all the sirens were working because I didn't hear them. Last time (a few weeks ago, I did). That is very dangerous if citizens can't even hear the warning!!
July 9, 2008 at 6:20 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
rmbcollege (anonymous) says...
It was crazy that they just went off out of nowhere.
I mean the other morning when it was raining, they tested the sirens...so...
July 9, 2008 at 7:06 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
liljay16 (anonymous) says...
I agree with equalrights, I work on commercial street and was outside at that time and could barely hear the sirens. This could have been a potentialy dangerous situation if the people outside can't even hear the sirens!
July 9, 2008 at 8:35 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
qasey (anonymous) says...
I was in Centinela's on Industrial between12th and 15th--no sirens there, either....
July 9, 2008 at 8:49 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
peaches75 (anonymous) says...
Qasey- was it kind of loud in there any? Is there a siren near the restaurant?
I work at quiznos and we don't hear the sirens in there because of the noise combined from the oven, walk in cooler, freezer, etc. plus I don't think there's a siren near the store either.
July 9, 2008 at 10:19 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
slipandslide (anonymous) says...
we live near quiznos and we heard them but i dont think we would have heard them if all my air conditioners had been running at the time.
July 9, 2008 at 11:19 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
justthefacts (anonymous) says...
Ok, the sirens are an outdoor warning system. They aren't designed to be heard indoors or even in all places outside. Most of the siren units in Emporia are 30, 40 or even 50 years old. It's almost impossible to get parts for them but they were all working. Unfortunately, each time the issue comes up that it will take nearly 400, 000 to replace the system, it gets shelved. You all need to buy a weather radio. Understand that this time of year, storms can build out of nowhere without warning. That's why people should be taking personal responsibility to stay informed and aware of existing conditions.
July 10, 2008 at 12:56 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
hartford (anonymous) says...
I live on Whittier Street. I was outside BBQing and I could barely hear them. I When we had the tornado warning a while back I could hear them in my living room with the tv on. It's a good thing nothing touched down. The sirens definitely failed yesterday!!
July 10, 2008 at 6:14 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
Amen, justthefacts! It was so muggy yesterday, and that alone should be a warning to anyone living in tornado prone areas to keep their eyes and ears open. Great suggestion on the weather radio too.
July 10, 2008 at 6:20 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
siamesefred (anonymous) says...
I was in the south Country Mart back by the milk cooler and thought I heard something, but figured I was nuts. When I got outside with my groceries, sure enough, I heard the sirens. Again, thought I was nuts until I turned on KVOE. Weird!
July 10, 2008 at 7:04 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
OutsiderJ (anonymous) says...
I can't remember a time in life when I didn't have a weather radio. It was "house rules" to have one when I was growing up, and I think it is a must for anyone who lives in Kansas. Folks that rely on sirens alone could be in a very dangerous place if there is a tornado or severe storm in the middle of the night. I don't think mother nature keeps regular business hours.
July 10, 2008 at 8:37 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Weltha (anonymous) says...
I was at the Midas Touch in a tanning bed and could hear the sirons going off Above the fan and radio. Tell me that wasn't a little freaky. Needless t osay I got out rather quickly.
July 10, 2008 at 8:40 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
dhcc66 (anonymous) says...
thanks justthefacts....the sirens are one line of defense for bad weather. the tv, the radio, and a weather radio are better for indoors. don't they announce over the tv about bad weather?? break in and scramble the signal? and with all the people in this area who have scanners and who show up and every little fire, accident, and incident, IT's ON THERE TOO!!!
if nothing else, call your neighbor or your friends and family to tell them and make sure they know about it too.
do agree though, if you want more/better sirens, the public would have to foot the bill for something that protects them...sounds reasonable to me.
July 10, 2008 at 10:14 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
MelissaE (anonymous) says...
I wanted to pass this link on:
http://www.weather.com/services/notif...
It is a program called "Notify!" by The Weather Channel. You can subscribe for a yearly fee and they will contact you in the event of a weather emergency. You pick what weather emergencies you want to know about and you pick how they contact you (phone, internet, pager, etc.)...for example, mine is set up to call my home phone only during tornado warnings in my county while they email me for severe thunderstorm warnings--no phone calls for that.
I'm not a fan of The Weather Channel's weather reporting, but their warnings come out from the NWS...and it works. About 30 seconds before the tornado sirens go off in my county, my phone rings to tell me it's happening. And living in Oklahoma, I have been awakened by that phone call several times in the middle of the night--when I wouldn't have otherwise known anything was going on.
It doesn't replace a portable weather radio but it is helpful.
July 10, 2008 at 10:16 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
equalrights (anonymous) says...
I agree that a weather radio is important. However, last time (a few weeks ago) I heard the sirens in my apartment with the tv on...Why is it that yesterday I didn't. Something wasn't right? Did some of the sirens not go off???
July 10, 2008 at 11:29 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
justthefacts (anonymous) says...
I was told they all worked. Ambient noise, temperature, wind, or lack of it, and siren turn direction, or lack of it all contributes to how far the siren sound travels. That's why it is important to have other means of notification. The best source of information is your visual observation of weather conditions. I would suggest that if you want to learn more, you should attend the next scheduled weather spotter class that becomes available. Even if you don't want to be a spotter, the class is helpful in knowing what to watch for.
July 10, 2008 at 11:45 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
slipandslide (anonymous) says...
i just moved into this house and yesterday gave me a chance to find out how well i could hear the sirens inside. i could hear them well at my last place. i have found that depending on where we live in town determines how well we hear the sirens. yesterday i called two people i know have trouble hearing them and next time i go shopping im buying a weather radio. someone on here had posted that the sirens could also be a nuclear accident at wolf creek, i didnt know that before, believe me i turned on the radio when the sirens went off
July 10, 2008 at 1:15 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
equalrights (anonymous) says...
I guess I was naive to thinking that the sirens would warn me. Thanks for the tip, justthefacts. I guess need to be learning more. =)
July 10, 2008 at 1:42 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
dhcc66 (anonymous) says...
maybe as our city grows we need to figure out if the sirens are in the right places? i'm sure somebody around does FREE studies about that? or maybe our emergency management crew from the county could do it themselves? i only hear them because i'm a block from one of them. even then, with all of the trees in full bloom and the "heavy" air, i'm sure i dont' hear them as well as i would at different times in the year
July 10, 2008 at 2:57 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
CassieJo (anonymous) says...
I can normally hear the sirens while inside my home even when they are just testing them. I didn't hear them at all yesterday until I opened the door to go out and get the mail.
July 10, 2008 at 4:52 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
mactlyon (anonymous) says...
To Weltha: I too was at the Midas and tanning but my tan was cut short and I asked the little lady up front why she told me the sirens were going off and I stayed to catch the weather report to figure out why. So you probably got out early because they shut off your bed..as for hearing the sirens I couldnt hear them indoors.
July 10, 2008 at 7:41 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
theNewKid (anonymous) says...
I heard the sirens but I was expecting the Police Dept. to come over the tv and say why they were going off. Why didn't that happen? Good thing I have a weather radio.
The sirens are a nice warning but without some way of finding out why they are sounding they aren't too helpful.
July 11, 2008 at 8:57 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
justthefacts (anonymous) says...
I heard the police warning over my television. It must be a cable TV problem.
July 11, 2008 at 9:50 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )