To the editor:

Reading the article “Storm-watchers are surprised by severity,” in Monday’s paper, there was a very disturbing comment made by Assistant Emergency Management Director Teri Smith. She said the sirens are not intended to be the area’s primary source of storm information and are only intended for people who are outdoors at the time the sirens go off.

Smith said that people should have been listening to their weather radios or watching the news when the storm hit.

“Everyone has personal accountability,” she said. Smith said she would not have done anything differently in warning people about the storm.

This comment was very rude! If the sirens are only to warn people who are outside, then when a tornado is spotted at night and we are all in bed, are the sirens not going to sound because no one is outside and we should turn on our weather alert radios or listen to the TV?

What will be done then if several lives are lost because of this stupid act. If this is the way our city is going to operate, I think someone needs to re-evaluate this issue.

Thank God no one lost their life due to a stupid mistake or policy. What would have been done if the so-call microburst would have been a tornado? It would have been too late. After all, there was a funnel cloud reported and I thought they sounded the sirens when there is a funnel cloud spotted.

What are the sirens for? Looks?

Nancy Bagwell,

Lawrence