To the editor:

Am I to understand that Douglas County officials will not activate our tornado warning sirens unless a trained spotter or law enforcement official confirms radar indication of a tornado? Wouldn’t we want to warn the people of Douglas County to take shelter BEFORE a tornado actually hits, not after?

We are also instructed to rely on the radio, television and Internet for storm warnings during severe weather. How are we supposed to know to do this at 1 in the morning when we are asleep? And how can we turn on our television or computer when the power is out? It’s time to change our siren policy. When the National Weather Service issues a tornado warning, we should immediately activate the tornado warning sirens. No one was injured or killed in the May 2 storm. Next time we might not be as lucky.

Lynate Pettengill,
Lawrence