Sarah Clark is the Allegan County Emergency Management Coordinator and says this:
is not necessarily a “tornado siren.”
“They’re called outdoor warning systems. It’s designed for people who are outdoors to seek additional information about an emergency that is happening.”
Which could be a tornado, other severe weather, or local emergency.
“Many people have the mistaken assumption they will hear the siren in their homes and that is not what its designed for. It’s designed to alert those who are outdoors.”
Clark, a former dispatcher, also identifies a dangerous problem she sees when a siren is activated: a large number of people call 911 to find out what’s happening.
“That’s something we want to strongly discourage. If you hear a siren, don’t all 911. Seek additional information elsewhere from local media outlets or a weather app or a weather radio but don’t call 911 just to find out why the siren is going off.
There’s a finite number of 911 lines that ring into any one call center.
“it’s possible if all the 911 lines are inundated, someone with a true emergency they’re trying to report can’t get through.”
Clark says a multi-layer approach is best: pay attention to sirens when outdoors and sign up for weather apps to get local alerts.
