IF THE RECENT WEATHER is any indication, Kansas may be in for an early storm season this year.
February is not halfway done and the trees in Emporia are already beginning to bud. The daily high temperatures have been running about a month ahead, too. All in all, February 2009 is shaping up to be a pleasant March.
But the arrival of the warm, wet air from the south, especially when strong cold fronts are still likely, could make the southern Great Plains an early breeding ground for violent storms. Oklahoma was hit Tuesday by a series of tornadoes that killed nine people and did millions of dollars in damage.
When tornadoes start popping up in Kansas’ backyard, it won’t be long before they are at the front door.
Emporia is going into this storm season with a handicap — the city has one ear tied behind its back. Two of the city’s storm sirens — the one near Jones Park and one near Emporia State University — are out of service and may remain silenced for some time. Those sirens will not be able to alert people in northwest Emporia and around the university when dangerous weather is on the way.
That means that Emporians will need to be especially alert in stormy weather and use radios, televisions and even the Internet to keep track of potential dangers. We will also have to get out of the mindset that says, “Let’s wait until we hear the sirens before we take cover.”
Keep alert and pay attention to all the sources of storm information that are available to you. Then, if you can’t hear the sirens, you’ll still know when they should be going off.
Patrick S. Kelley
Editorial Page Editor
madpoet (anonymous) says...
You know, the sirens are for people outside anyway. If you're outside and it gets really bad, you should be able to figure out to go in and check the tv or radio. Everyone should have a battery powered radio tuned to KVOE if they want to be on top of severe weather. We live out in the county and have no sirens. We use a little thing called common sense and watch the sky and listen to the radio. Or we watch Channel 13 who also does an excellent job with keeping everyone up to speed on storms.
February 12, 2009 at 3:26 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
justthefacts (anonymous) says...
I know there was discussion earlier last year about replacing the old sirens, does anybody know what happened?
February 12, 2009 at 6:15 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
barefootin (anonymous) says...
I think the sirens are being repaired, but I can't remember the whole story about it. There was also an article about the city wanting to replace the sirens with newer, easier to hear ones. I haven't heard if there was a decision for new ones.
February 12, 2009 at 10:30 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
justthefacts (anonymous) says...
I think I remember back last spring the newspaper ran a story about how most of them are way past their lifespan like fifty years old and need to be replaced. That's what I was trying to find out earlier if anything had happened yet. I know somebody made a presentation but I don't remember who.
February 12, 2009 at 10:37 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
hogan77 (anonymous) says...
You know, I have to admit. The one and only thing I truly miss about Emporia was that they always did have excellent coverage when bad weather struck. All you had to do was turn on any radio, and you could hear Jeff or one of the other guys on the radio, explaining the situation. Here in SW Kansas, we simply don't have anything like that. We have to hope that our electricity will hold out long enough for the storm to pass, and if it doesn't, we are screwed. This coming from a person living 25 miles North of Greensburg Kansas, the night of the massive E-F5 tornado. Thankfully, we held on to power until it crossed highway 50 to the east of us 16 miles, and took out the power sub stations. Oh, and we only have one siren, which you cannot hear on my edge of town. The town is only 3 miles in width, and the siren is in the middle of town, but nope. We can't hear it at all. So be thankful for what you have Emporia! Some people have very little at all.
February 12, 2009 at 10:57 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jewely33 (anonymous) says...
As a homeowner in the Northwest vicinity of Emporia, it is a little unsettling knowing that the siren across the street from my house is not working. It would be nice if we could have some specific information about these sirens and why they are not working and WHEN they will be operable again. I have many neighbors that are elderly, along with other residents who may rely upon those sirens. It seems like a public safety situation to me. It is nice that an article was in the Gazette, but what about those people who don't read the Gazette. It just seems like this type of situation should have been resolved before the spring storm season arrived. Also, who pays for the repairs on those sirens? I assume the City of Emporia. I agree that each individual needs to be aware of the current weather conditions and possible severe weather threats; but it seems that the city should also have some responsibility to protect its tax payers.
February 13, 2009 at 6:56 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
justthefacts (anonymous) says...
I'm curious, the paper and radio stations reported it. What other options for notification would you have the city use? When you are dealing with 50 year old equipment, well past their useful life, you can pretty much expect them to fail all the time. they are tested once a month I think.
February 13, 2009 at 8:18 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )