To the editor:

I am writing this letter in regards to the letter in Sunday’s paper about not being able to hear the outdoor warning sirens. I would like to point out that if you are relying solely on the sirens to know that severe weather is in the area, then you are many steps behind the game.

I know for a fact that there was at least a week’s notice that severe weather was possible for eastern Kansas on May 8. And early in the day on the 8th, we were placed in a “high risk” for severe weather and tornadoes, and a tornado watch was issued for the area. And more than an hour before the tornado was even sighted in Douglas County, every local television station had coverage of the storm and that it was moving into the Douglas County area.

The sirens are a last resort effort to get people to take shelter. But if you still were not aware of the severe weather in the area, the only one to blame is yourself. There were and are many ways to stay informed about the weather. Buy a NOAA Weather Radio, watch the weather forecasts on TV or listen to the radio.

The information is out there. Please use it to your advantage; it can only help you. This is Kansas. We get our fair share of severe weather, so I think everyone should be in tune with the weather forecasts for the area. If there are chances for severe weather, stay informed all day on how it is progressing, and if severe weather strikes your area, take immediate shelter; that’s how you survive days like Thursday, May 8, 2003.

Matt Withers,

Lawrence