Tornado sirens likely won’t be replaced by apps in Oklahoma
Imagine living without tornado sirens. It’s hard for Oklahomans to imagine that — especially after this week, the peak of the state’s tornado season. Many people depend on outdoor warning sirens to tell them to take cover. Yet some cities in the state are phasing them out. In Seminole, which took the brunt of the damage from this week’s tornado, some people say they never heard the sirens when the second round came after dark. For many people, the sign to head for tornado shelter is the roar of the siren. But what if the roar is not available because the sirens have been removed. This was the case in Mobile, Alabama. But it didn’t happen quickly. The process took about five years. The problem was that some of Mobile’s sirens were almost 70 years old. Maintenance was expensive and difficult. Instead, Mobile encouraged residents to use more accurate ways to receive alerts. “So the message is to have more than one way to get your warnings,” said Mike Evans of Mobile County Emergency Management. But some Oklahomans rely on mermaids. A Facebook user said: I hear the sirens but watch TV if something is serious. Another said, “I was born and raised in Oklahoma and I have my KOCO app on my phone! I have the weather alerts complete and ready for our extreme weather conditions. I hear sirens, but I watch television and if something is serious, I know that you will come to alert us. notifications on our phones. It woke me up so quickly at 5am If it had been the outdoors I wouldn’t have woken up. Others don’t see the point, saying they sleep despite the sirens and rely on neighbors instead. Several months ago, Stillwater considered reducing the mermaid’s footprint. “It was just an option for us not to replace the storm sirens, to remove them from the system and just rely on technology. Almost everyone now has a mobile phone,” the emergency manager said. of Stillwater, Rob Hill “We just couldn’t not have storm sirens.” Stillwater found a way to both save money and have wide outdoor warning coverage. They also used new technology to switch to solar power.”We put solar panels in there and they’re completely solar-based,” he told Oklahoma emergency officials say the state is unlikely to follow Mobile’s lead anytime soon. “I think the future of those here is going to continue. In fact, we have several jurisdictions around that have replaced their entire fleet in the past two years,” said David Barnes, Oklahoma County Emergency Manager. Mermaids will evolve with technology. “So there are practicalities to advances in technology that make outdoor warning devices easier to get, easier to install, but they’re not cheap,” he said.
Imagine living without tornado sirens.
It’s hard for Oklahomans to imagine that — especially after this week, the peak of the state’s tornado season.
Many people depend on outdoor warning sirens to tell them to take cover. Yet some cities in the state are phasing them out. In Seminole, which took the brunt of the damage from this week’s tornado, some people say they never heard the sirens when the second round came after dark.
For many people, the sign to head for tornado shelter is the roar of the siren.
But what if the roar is not available because the sirens have been removed. This was the case in Mobile, Alabama. But it didn’t happen quickly. The process took about five years.
The problem was that some of Mobile’s sirens were almost 70 years old. Maintenance was expensive and difficult. Instead, Mobile encouraged residents to use more accurate ways to receive alerts.
“So the message is to have more than one way to get your warnings,” said Mike Evans of Mobile County Emergency Management.
But some Oklahomans rely on sirens. A Facebook user said: I hear the sirens but watch TV if something is serious.
Another said, “I was born and raised in Oklahoma and I have my KOCO app on my phone! I have the weather alerts complete and ready for our extreme weather conditions. I hear sirens, but I watch television and if something is serious, I know that you will come to alert us.
Another said: ‘So grateful last fall when there was a tornado warning that they used emergency service notifications on our phones. It woke me up so quickly at 5am If it had been the outdoor ones I wouldn’t have woken up.
Others don’t see the need, saying they sleep through the sirens and rely on their neighbors instead.
Several months ago, Stillwater considered reducing the mermaid’s footprint.
“It was just an option for us not to replace the storm sirens, to remove them from the system and just rely on technology. Almost everyone now has a mobile phone,” the emergency manager said. of Stillwater, Rob Hill “We just couldn’t get the storm sirens out.”
Stillwater has found a way to both save money and have wide outdoor alert coverage. They also used new technology to switch to solar power.
“We have installed solar panels there and they are completely based on solar energy,” he said.
Oklahoma emergency officials say the state is unlikely to follow Mobile’s lead any time soon.
“I think the future for those here is going to continue. In fact, we have several jurisdictions around that have replaced their entire fleet over the past two years,” said Oklahoma County Emergency Manager David Barnes. .
Mermaids will evolve with technology.
“So there are practicalities to advances in technology that make outdoor warning devices easier to get, easier to install, but they’re not cheap,” he said.