Re: Plainfield sirens: This particular case vs logic This particular case: I can understand not sounding the sirens for Plainfield. The threat was close enough to town to warrant siren activation, but posed no risk to the town itself. The highest threat at the time of warning issuance was near the I-55 corridor. If I was in the position that Commander Ruggles was in, I probably would have erred on the side of caution and activated. I am not going to rake him over the coals though. The problem is with the siren system. To my knowledge Plainfields sirens are ALL controlled by one panel.... meaning that it is all or nothing with sirens across the area. If sirens sounded on the border of Plainfield/Romeoville they also sound on the far west side of Plainfield as well. It becomes a judgement call if you want to warn 10% of the population for a tornado when 90% are not at risk. He chose to not warn for it. I can understand that. Logic: What is the point of tornado warnings if you only sound the alerts if something is spotted? It was stated that spotters did not see any evidence or indication of rotation or a tornado. How could a spotter view a tornado that is completely wrapped in rain at 10 P.M.? I am an experienced chaser and I would not have been able to see the tornado. In fact it physically hit my home and I STILL did not see it. That is why Doppler radar is so valuable. If the weather service deems it necessary to issue a warning based on rotation, you need to sound the alarms. Our NWS office is phenomenal, trust them. In this case you did not set off the sirens for a confirmed tornado within your jurisdiction. It ended well this time. This also goes back to the point I keep driving into peoples head. DO NOT RELY ON SIRENS FOR YOUR WARNING!!!!!! DO NOT DO NOT DO NOT! Invest in a NOAA WEATHER RADIO. It will alarm well before the sirens will. Many smart phones were activated well before the sirens were. Always have THREE ways of receiving warnings. DO NOT WAIT until you hear the sirens. I have huge issues with towns that set off sirens on a whim. Untrained spotters reporting scud as funnel clouds. I was sitting in chat the other day and noticed a lot of EMs setting off sirens based on erroneous funnel cloud reports. Its a tough job that those in charge face. You either cry wolf or get caught sleeping. Chalk this up as a learning experience.
Posted on: Thu, 03 Jul 2014 07:09:31 +0000
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