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Health & Fitness

Will the Dacula Siren Be Effective?

How will you react the next time you hear the Dacula severe weather siren?

The National Weather Service completed their final assessment of the May 22 Joplin Missouri EF5 tornado and came away with some findings that I think are worth exploring. As most of you know, Dacula recently repaired their tornado siren. The timing of the repair and the release of the study immediately made me think about what ramifications this had for Dacula residents.

As you're aware, the Joplin tornado was the deadliest tornado to hit this country since 1954, killing 159 people and injuring more than 1,000. Because of the historical significance of this tornado, the study was very extensive and one important aspect was the warning response and risk perception that people had preceding the event. I've extracted pieces of the report that pertain to the sirens to see what if any impact it might have on the operation of the sirens here in Dacula. But I've also asked questions just for you to get you to think about some of the points that were raised in the study and how they might potentially pertain to you and your family.  Long before severe weather approaches, make sure you know your sources of information, have multiple sources, and know what to do when warned. Time is precious and the the life of you and your family depend on quick action during moments like these. 


FINDING:
For the vast majority of surveyed Joplin residents, the first risk signal for an imminent severe weather threat came via the local community siren system.  As a result, there was a significant degree of ambiguity associated with the first alert regarding the magnitude of the risk, the seriousness of the warning, and its potential impact.  This did not necessarily mean that residents exclusively relied on these systems for their weather information, only that the sirens were their first indication of a risk.

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In Joplin, it is community policy to sound sirens when either a tornado is reported to be moving toward Joplin or severe thunderstorm winds are expected to exceed 75 mph. These triggers may or may not be associated with an NWS warning, and the Jasper County/Joplin Emergency Manager has discretion and uses professional judgment on when to activate sirens. These types of local warning system policies are by no means unique to Joplin.
 
Once the decision is made to activate sirens, they are sounded in one, 3-minute burst and then shut off. For those that used the sirens as the initial alert tool, there was no way to immediately discern the magnitude and nature of the threat, or its potential impact. This lack of information makes it difficult for warning recipients to calibrate the severity of the situation, thus delaying their response.  Also, several of those interviewed expressed confusion associated with the single 3-minute siren alert, thinking the threat was over once the sirens had ceased.

DACULA QUESTIONS:
The first five questions are for the City of Dacula, the sixth one is for you.
 

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  1. What are the policies for sounding the the tornado siren in Dacula? 
  2. What is the criteria for activation and duration of the siren? 
  3. Are there different sounds for different types of events?
  4. Does the current siren have that capability?
  5. Who determines when to activate it and what training do they have? 
  6. Will you rely on the siren in Dacula to warn you of a tornado?

 

FINDING:
The majority of surveyed Joplin residents did not immediately go to shelter upon hearing the initial warning, whether from local warning sirens, television, NWR, or other sources.  Instead, most chose to further clarify and assess their risk by waiting for, actively seeking, and filtering additional information.

Similar to seasonal weather patterns, the perceived frequency of siren activation (false alarms) led an overwhelming number of participants to become desensitized or complacent to this method of warning. Many noted that they "hear sirens all the time, [sirens] go off for dark clouds," they are "bombarded with [sirens] so often that we don‘t pay attention," "the sirens have gone off so many times before," "sirens are sounded even for thunderstorms," and "all sirens mean is there is a little more water in the gutter." The diminished severity or absence of a threat (complacency) held by Joplin residents can be understood as resulting from their normalization of the threat. Normalized responses toward severe impacts are likely to occur in groups frequently exposed to hazardous weather. The same could be said for residents in Joplin who, based on their perceived frequent exposure to local warning systems (and NWS warnings) during spring, normalized their reactions to the activation of the first siren and characterized it as just another aspect of springtime in Joplin.

DACULA QUESTIONS:
These questions are for all of you!

  1. What would you do if you heard the siren?
  2. What does it mean it you?
  3. Would you check another source before taking shelter?
  4. Are we warned about severe weather too much?
  5. What sources do you get your information from?

 

FINDING:
Familiarity with severe weather and the perceived frequency of siren activation not only reflect normalization of threat and/or desensitization to sirens and warnings, but they also establish that initial siren activation has lost a degree of credibility for many residents. Credibility is considered to be one of the most valued characteristics for effective risk communication.

Lastly, several of the people interviewed indicated a desire for different levels of warning (applied to local siren policies) as a means to clarify the seriousness/magnitude of the threat. Specifically, these comments spoke to some desired differentiation in warnings and siren tones between life-threatening emergencies and threats to property. These persons noted, "maybe there should be two levels of warning … a regular warning and a panic button warning for when it will be really bad," "I wonder if there shouldn‘t be different types of sirens for different types of warnings," and another noted that there is a difference between a warned big event and a warned small tornado or funnel cloud.

DACULA QUESTIONS:

  1. Do you believe there should be a single warning tone?
  2. Do you believe there should be multiple warning tones?

 

FINDING:
The majority of surveyed Joplin residents did not take protective action until receiving and processing credible confirmation of the threat and its magnitude from a non-routine trigger. 

While searching for additional information concerning the severe weather threat constitutes "taking an action," the actions many residents described taking were not the immediate life-saving measures desired with the issuance of a tornado warning. In most cases, these life-saving actions, or the decision to find shelter, were associated with additional extraordinary risk signals. This was generally achieved in different ways, including:

  • Physical observation of the environment (seeing the tornado approach).
While significant numbers of people actually did this, the approach was complicated by having a "rain-wrapped" tornado that made the tornado more difficult to recognize until it was very close. There were numerous accounts of people running to shelter in their homes just as the tornado struck, despite significant advance warning of the risk.
  • Seeing or hearing confirmation of the threat on radio or television, seeing the large tornado on the air, or hearing on-air instructions to "take cover now."
When the tornado began moving into Joplin, most local electronic media switched to "wall-to-wall" coverage of the event, which included live video from tower-cams. As coverage quickly evolved, and the magnitude of the event became clear, on-air commentators implored those in the path to take cover immediately. This kind of media coverage helped convey the seriousness and urgency of the situation, and prompted many listeners and viewers to find shelter.
  • Hearing a second, non-routine, siren alert at approximately 538 pm CDT.
It is the Joplin emergency management policy to sound the sirens onetime for a severe weather alert. Because of the length of time that had elapsed since the initial siren alert, and as reports came into central dispatch of a tornado moving into Joplin, the Emergency Manager made the decision to activate the local warning sirens a second time. This second siren activation came about 20 minutes after WFO Springfield issued the Tornado Warning for southwestern Jasper County, including Joplin (issued at 517 pm CDT). A large number of those interviewed noted that this non-routine second siren alert raised their level of awareness, confirmed the alert, indicated the seriousness of the warning, and prompted them to get to the best available shelter.

DACULA QUESTIONS:

  1. What does it take before you take shelter?
  2. Do you need multiple confirmations before taking shelter?
  3. Are you prepared?

 

Please let me hear your thoughts to any of the questions. I'll be happy to pass your thoughts and ideas on to the National Weather Service. 

The entire report can be read here



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