Tornado warning system

[JagFarlane]

So the local news station was just advertising a service they have to forwarn of tornadoes forming in the area. They keep a record of where you live, and if a tornado forms in that area, they give you a call to give you the heads up. This is a service they sell for $6 a year, and may be relevant considering that there have been several tornadoes in the area within the past month.
But mostly I was curious if other news stations around the US do the same thing?

 

[OzoneRed]

Never heard of a news station doing this.

Some communities in MI have a "reverse 911" notification system, run by the local police. In case of an emergency, all homes in a given area are called with a recorded message. The system was credited recently with locating a 2-year-old who had wandered away from home.

 

[cloudy]

We have sirens - most in the south do - so no real need of this service.

 

[Guest]

We have county sirens, too.

But someone inside their home in a deep sleep could, conceivably, sleep through it.

They are designed to help those who are outside, not inside.

We own a weather radio. It alerts us whenever there is a watch/warning in our area.

We like.

 

[cloudy]

We have county sirens, too.

But someone inside their home in a deep sleep could, conceivably, sleep through it.

They are designed to help those who are outside, not inside.

We own a weather radio. It alerts us whenever there is a watch/warning in our area.

We like.

my clock radio is a "warning" radio: whenever there's a warning, it goes off, so we're covered.

 

[CrimsonMaiden]

We live out in the country. The only way you can hear the closest siren is if you are outside and listening very closely, so if we get a warning in the middle of the night, we have no way of knowing (unless the storm has woken me up and I've turned on the tv to check the weather.)

 

[JagFarlane]

Yea had never heard of this either but thought it was kind of cool, particularly, like you said, if in a deep sleep. The base nearby has sirens.

 

[THROBBS]

When they test the sirens you can hear them. However the Voice that comes on with the type of warning is like the Jack in the Box drive-thru Speaker or like an adult in a Peanuts Cartoon.
When the weather is severe enough for the siren to go off... the wind is typically so loud that you cannot hear the siren. Or you go outside to figure out what the noise is... and get clobbered with flying debris. (or the atomic blast).

Luckily, we are not frequented by tornadoes (or A-bombs).

 

[Chantilyvamp]

In the area i lived in Arkansas we didn't have sirens at the time. Never heard them. Moved to Ohio and the hubby and I woke up to this hideous noise. Looked at each other asked whats that and went back to sleep. Next day watching all the destruction we found out what that noise was.

I think I'd have preferred a telephone service as I'd wake up quicker.

 

[JagFarlane]

In the area i lived in Arkansas we didn't have sirens at the time. Never heard them. Moved to Ohio and the hubby and I woke up to this hideous noise. Looked at each other asked whats that and went back to sleep. Next day watching all the destruction we found out what that noise was.

I think I'd have preferred a telephone service as I'd wake up quicker.

-chuckles- From what I hear, when the sirens went off on base last month, it did more harm than good. People started to come out of thier barracks to look around and figure out what the hell was going on.

 

[maggot420]

We don't have tornadoes...we have micro-bursts.

 

[neonlyte]

We own a weather radio. It alerts us whenever there is a watch/warning in our area.

We like.

Is that one of those solar powered radio's? I wouldn't have thought it much use in tornado conditions.

<off-topic> there's a wonderful restaurant in Tornado, nr Caldas da Rainha - does the best seafood rice in Portugal</off-topic>

 

[Guest]

Is that one of those solar powered radio's? I wouldn't have thought it much use in tornado conditions.

<off-topic> there's a wonderful restaurant in Tornado, nr Caldas da Rainha - does the best seafood rice in Portugal</off-topic>

Nope. It's battery-powered with rechargeable batteries (we keep it plugged into the charger).

And actually, this sort of warning radio is required equipment at all public schools in our area. (Probably the entire state, but I'm not certain).

We have more inclement weather predicted for later today. *sigh*

 

[neonlyte]

Nope. It's battery-powered with rechargeable batteries (we keep it plugged into the charger).

And actually, this sort of warning radio is required equipment at all public schools in our area. (Probably the entire state, but I'm not certain).

We have more inclement weather predicted for later today. *sigh*

I can imagine... stay safe.

We've had the wettest year on record here, the wind has not been over strong, except one weekend when it blew away the inflatable tented market - the brick market is being re-built outside my window as I type.