Outdoor warning sirens sounded across the area Tuesday night during thunderstorms, with one going off just as another was ending, confusing many.
So what happened?
Hamilton County sirens sounded at about 10:15 p.m. Tuesday, just as a warning was expiring. “It was time for them to be set off again right when the warning expired. So, we then hit the cancel button and were able to turn them off,” explains Nick Crossley, director of Hamilton County's Emergency Management Agency.
He stresses the word “outdoor” with such sirens.
“First and foremost, they’re only meant to be heard outdoors. Inside buildings, there’s a good chance you won’t hear the sirens,” he says. “Houses are built better; you’ve got your TV going; you’ve got your headphones in — whatever it might be.”
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Crossley says sirens are an "ancient technology" that has limitations. He says there are plenty of ways to get weather alerts that are quicker and more accurate than relying on the sirens
“It’s much better to have a NOAA weather radio that will alert you if anywhere in the county comes under a warning,” he says.
Crossley says there’s also local broadcasters who will interrupt programming to cover severe weather.
The first thing he recommends is something most people have with them all the time. “Make sure that you have wireless emergency alerts enabled on your cell phone. Your phone should activate when the Weather Service automatically sends out the alert to the wireless alert systems.”
Crossley says having alerts enabled on your phone is advantageous because sometimes storms come in the middle of the night.
“That noise will wake you up.”
There’s also Alert Hamilton County, which will call, email, or text you. But he says you have to sign up.
Crossley says there's a policy for when the sirens are sounded, which starts when the National Weather Service issues a tornado warning. Policies can vary from county to county, including which office actually activates the sirens: In Hamilton County, it’s the EMA office. In Butler County, the Sheriff’s Office presses the button. Clermont County’s Communications Center activates the siren.
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Crossley says there's no such thing as an all-clear sound.
“They activate for three (minutes); they’re off for seven; they activate for three minutes for the length of the warning.”
Crossley says those seven minutes allows the sirens to wind down and reset.
