LJWorld.com

Multidisciplinary (Anonymous) says…

The future's in the air
I can feel it everywhere
Blowing with the wind of change
-scorpions
––––––-
You got your life planned carefully
But you left out one detail
The hidden hand deals just one round
And the winds of change prevail
-Jefferson Starship

gr (Anonymous) says…

“revenue bonds allowing Pima County, Ariz., to finance a company’s acquisition and improvements to Douglas County Christian radio station, KJTY.”

Questions: What is a county acquiring a Christian radio station for?

Or, is it just financing or making a loan to another company? If so, do counties make loans to private companies? If so, why does Jones think this is a separation of church and state issue (ignoring the concept that Douglas county's participation is a formality only)?

JerryStubbs (Anonymous) says…

I think the proof's in the pudding. There were no tornados in Lawrence. Nobody was hurt. You can't hear the sirens way out in the country, so what's the point of sounding them? I don't think these weather professional's were asleep or anything. On the other hand if somebody spotted a tornado in town I'm sure they would take the call and take appropriate action.

Jeteras (Anonymous) says…

I would think this would have been decided a loooooong time ago, you know like when the sirens were put up. I dont know but if the NWS puts your county in a tornado warning I would think that you should sound the sirens. Jefferson and Douglas were under a nws warning! last storm and every town in Jefferson county sounded their sirens. Why did Douglas County not? If tornado like conditions are prevailing my @$$ wants to be woke up if its 2am before me and my bed ends up on a light pole somewhere.

mom_of_three (Anonymous) says…

And by the time “they spotted a tornado in town” and sounded the sirens, it might have been too late for folks to take appropriate shelter. But if the warning sounded when the warning was issued by the NWS, people could take shelter ahead of time and avoid injury, hopefully.
I don't know what they should have done last week, I just hope for some consistency.

jafs (Anonymous) says…

There was in fact a tornado that touched down in Lawrence.

RibMan (Anonymous) says…

Sirens are to warn people of a high probability for severe and immediate damage. They are there to insure safety. Let's use them.

ksdivakat (Anonymous) says…

Lets make sure that everyone is at that meeting! Be there or be square!

ksdivakat (Anonymous) says…

oh yeah, and lets not forget this, if the good citizens of lawrence want the sirens sounded when NWS issues a warning then I say give them what they want!
But what happnes is NWS doesnt pick up the rotation but spotters do??!! This HAS indeed happened right here in DG county….so then the sirens dont sound?? It has to either be the counties call or NWS call…cant have both…

ylimeh (Anonymous) says…

What about all the students that live on top floors of apartment buildings? We need all the time we can get to go someplace safer. If the NWS says there's a tornado, it's close enough for me. Better safe and prepared than dead.

lsense (Anonymous) says…

ksdivacat says…

“It has to either be the counties call or NWS call…cant have both…”

And why not? If the NWS does indeed miss the rotation (which is highly unlikely, and even though you claim it has happened, you give no information to back your claim up), but trained local spotters do, why could they not go ahead and sound the sirens then? Please, use some common sense before posting.

ksdivakat (Anonymous) says…

Anyone else have a question or comment??

People are wanting to “change the policy” right??
ok Idiot….the policy states that if the NWS issues a warning then sound the sirens….the county policy makes it the counties call…all the bitching on here has been about taking the athority away from EOC and allowing NWS to make that call……….or have you NOT been paying attention?? SO its either NWS or the county….unless of course, your just bitching to bitch and dont really care one way or another????????

Oracle_of_Rhode (Anonymous) says…

Change the damn policy. Sound the sirens automatically if the NWS issues a warning.

ksdivakat (Anonymous) says…

Ok great!!!! Lets change the policy! I will see you at the meeting!

lsense (Anonymous) says…

ksdivakat,
Wow, aren't you mature? Name-calling like someone who is 5 years old? Yeah, I'd say you'd be pretty easy to spot at the meeting. Your responses show your true ignorance, and I'm sure you will surely shine in the meeting!

ksdivakat (Anonymous) says…

Then I will see you there lsense……….

iloveyoutoo (Anonymous) says…

Yeah you should read ksdivakat's comments on the initial article before it was revealed that there was in fact a tornado that touched down. She was singing a completely different tune after that information was released…..and if you ask her to back up any of the “facts” she spews at you….she'll just ignore you and tell you that you're just bitching to bitch. Class act.

iloveyoutoo (Anonymous) says…

And yes, miss diva, you WILL see me there.

dirkleisure (Anonymous) says…

ksdivacat, we should go together. And then after we can head down to Clinton Lake to catch fish with our bare hands, use our vapors to light a fire, and drink stuff we cooked up ourself out back. We won't need a tent or sleeping bag, because we're too tough for sleep.

We'll show these sissies a thing or two about the weather. People like you and I make our own weather. I say we advocate for that to be included in the policy.

ksdivakat (Anonymous) says…

iloveyoutoo…….there was no tornado in the city of lawrence, period. never, not once, did one ever enter the city…now you check your facts! The report that is out now is a prelem report meaning: we dont have all the facts yet.
I dont care where you go and what you do….you do it all missy! But im not going to get into a pissing contest with you or anyone else who isnt weather educated AND works or spots for the county….its not worth it, you dont understand. And just to make my position perfectly clear….I am NOT affiliated with EOC or DG co Skywarn in anyway, as I stated the other day, I am a salaried chaser for the storm prediction center….and I must say, we love you guys here!! you give us a reason to laugh everyday!!!! Thank you! But I will be at that meeting cause I just want to see how people react when those commishs make their decision!

dirkleisure (Anonymous) says…

The storm prediction center? That's a heck of a commute.

Luckily, people like you and I don't need any stinking cars, we just grab some sand and water, mix it up in our bellies to mix our own concrete, then spit it out in front of us to pave our own roads. Then we call upon the wind to blow us down the road on our in-line skates, which are totally rad.

ksdivakat (Anonymous) says…

dirk..LOL..I like your attitude, and I am currently working with some folks there who have emailed me and asked me about policy change and what all that entails, if the people want the policy changed then thats what they should get, however, you cant just walk into that meeting like a half-wit and spew off that you want it changed, There will be just as many people there who do not want it changed and so you have to be prepared for the battle. Hopefully that is what I am helping these folks do.
My position takes me all over the midwest, Ive seen more things than the average person will never even know happened!
My feeling is that some of these people, just want something to fuss about. and are not really concerned about a policy change. This does make me fussy…if you want a change do something about it, if your not part of the solution them you have to be part of the problem…..I would venture to say that these folks have not lived in lawrence long, or even Kansas as for that matter, its my understanding that the current policy has been in place for several years…..why now?? This isnt the first year of bad weather?? This is Kansas for goodness sakes!
But I would take you up on the fishing offer for sure! I love to fish and camp….I say lets do it when there is bad weather though!!!

cmdln (Anonymous) says…

Why cant the siren be sounded if the NWS determines a warning OR a qualified local spotter?

ksdivakat (Anonymous) says…

cmdln…..its my understanding that this is the current policy, either when NWS issues it OR a trained spotter sees it…..keep in mind NWS is a state agency…EOC is county agency, so you have 2 brances of the govnmt who are eiach going ot pass the buck so to speak…NWS does not and will not be responsible for activation of sirens….so you have to work within your means….and you have to know how to rebutt what is going ot be said in this meeting.

cmdln (Anonymous) says…

http://www.douglas-county.com/depts/em/e…

Activation
The outdoor warning sirens for any or all of the cities in Douglas County are activated when a local determination is made that a tornado threat to the area exists. This determination is made by Douglas County Emergency Management staff and will be based on the evaluation of all available information. This may include, but is not limited to, National Weather Service watch and/or warning text, weather radar and reports from trained weather spotters or law enforcement officers.

Sure looks like ORs to me. So I think the outcry is because they did not exercise the policy since its OR not exclusively a local spotter, or exclusively the NWS.

Multidisciplinary (Anonymous) says…

(biting tongue again today.)
$%^&*

ksdivakat (Anonymous) says…

cmdln……its my understanding that the people here on the blog, dont want EOC to make that determination any longer, they want the sirens to be activated when NWS issues a tornado warning, period.

cmdln (Anonymous) says…

Its my understanding that people just want the sirens sounded when there is a valid reason to sound them like there was that night. And the EOC cops out and says they did not sound them because of the policy and they did not have a local spotter.

twosides (Anonymous) says…

Douglas County Christian Radio Station ???? When did Topeka move to Douglas County?

KJTY-FM
1005 SW 10th Ave
Topeka, KS
Phone: (785) 357-8888
Fax: (785) 357-0100

KJTY Radio is a ministry of
Joy Public Broadcasting
JPB Stations:
KJTY - Topeka, KS
WJTY - Lancaster, WI
WJTG - Fort Valley, GA
WJTF - Panama City, FL
KJTA - Flagstaff, AZ

kjty radio - joy 88
1005 SW 10th Street, Topeka, KS 66604-1103
(785)357-8888 FAX: (785)357-0100
Toll-Free: (888) joy-kjty (569-5589)
Dr. Jack Jacob, Operations Manager
100,000 Watts Strong
www.joy88.org

cg22165 (Anonymous) says…

Couple of comments:

“I would think this would have been decided a loooooong time ago, you know like when the sirens were put up. ”

If I remember history correctly, “storm” sirens were originally put up as a warning system to be used in the case of a nuclear attack. It was some kind of afterthought that someone said, “Hey, we could also use these to warn people about other dangerous things, like tornados.”

I don't see why this is so difficult or devisive. Someone has responsibility for installing and maintaining the sirens; my guess is it is the city government. They should also be responsible for sounding them. Now, whether they accept triggering input from the NWS or local spotters or both seems like it should be an easy call; any time there is a credible report of eminent threat of a tornado hitting the population, sound the dang sirens. In my opinion, both, any and all, would be the acceptable answer. For instance, if a Sheriff's deputy is confident he/she sees tornado, I don't care if he/she has had training or not, for Pete's sake, sound the sirens.

Crud, there are three different remotes sitting on my couch, my TV will turn on when I push the button on any of them. The technology to accomplish this for storm sirens can't be that difficult.

ksdivakat (Anonymous) says…

” would think this would have been decided a loooooong time ago, you know like when the sirens were put up. I dont know but if the NWS puts your county in a tornado warning I would think that you should sound the sirens”

“Let's make this easy for Teri Smith and her “trained spotters”. If The National Weather Service (TNWS) says that Douglas County is under a tornado warning, sound the sirens!”

These are just a couple comments from the above blog and the earlier blogs in the week were brimming with these kinds of comments, so I take people at face value when they speak as to what they want and it appears to me that they want the sirens sounded anytime the NWS issues a tornado wanring for anywhere in DG co……am I misinterputing this somehow???

road_Runner (Anonymous) says…

“…its my understanding that the people here on the blog, dont want EOC to make that determination any longer, they want the sirens to be activated when NWS issues a tornado warning, period.”

People here are certainly interpreting this from various angles and POV's, however it appears one thing seems universal across the board and that is a genuine concern for safety.

I do understand where you are coming from in terms of having the spotters out there. Skyewarn is irreplaceable to the warning system. They are the ones who are able to confirm tornadoes and low-level rotation, whereas the radar is not always able to do so. I do have complete confidence in the spotters and trust their judgment.

There are a few things though that happened last Thur/Fri night, which need to be further evaluated. For one, a tornado did in fact touch down in Douglas County, not too far from Lawrence and the spotters were unable to see it that night. By looking at the SRM-radar, it was clear there was some strong rotation within the storm not too far from Lawrence. You can clearly see the couplet and it's proximity to Lawrence: http://www.crh.noaa.gov/Image/top/May220… Granted, a storm structure and rotation can vary greatly from minute to minute however, given the speed the whole line segment was moving, 45-50mph, the area of rotation would have been over Lawrence, especially far north Lawrence, in no time. Plus, it's really hard to keep up with storms from the ground when they moving that fast. This storm also appeared to have some HP (High Precipitation) characteristics. HP storms are notorious for making it challenging to see rotation and even tornadoes from ground level, let alone in the dark. Also, there was a history of storms producing tornadoes that evening indicating there was still some shear (although not as strong from earlier in the evening) present. Another thing. These were the type of storms that would have had short lived tornado touchdowns, not long trackers, which would also make it more challenging to detect from the ground.

I understand not to overuse the sirens, however in my 15 years in Lawrence, they are rarely sounded….maybe once every few years. That same parameter applies the actual number of tornado warnings which included the city of Lawrence.

I know there are numerous ways in finding out that there is a warning (media, weather radio, etc), instead of the sirens, however when you actually hear the sirens, the urgency of taking cover really kicks in for many and that's not going to change. With the current system, I feel better communication between the NWS and the EOC would certainly help resolve a lot of these issues, especially in a situation like last week.

(P.S. Wow, I didn't know that SPC pays chasers now. Man, I've really been out of the loop, lol.)

a_flock_of_jayhawks (Anonymous) says…

JerryStubbs (Anonymous) says…

“I think the proof's in the pudding. There were no tornados in Lawrence”

NWS officially stated that there was an F2 and an F0, possibly the same tornado that emerged twice, that touched down 5 miles WSW of Clinton Lake. Technically not in Lawrence, but it sure was on a track that took the cell that produced it over NW Lawrence.

Confrontation (Anonymous) says…

“You can't hear the sirens way out in the country, so what's the point of sounding them?”

Did someone seriously say this?! Why warn some people if we can't warn them all? Sad, sad little man.

ksdivakat (Anonymous) says…

Wow! Roadrunner and CG…..first intelligent comments regarding this issue that Ive seen on any of these blogs so far!! Kudos to you for not reacting emotionally but moreover rationally and with a degree of class!!
If the people want this policy changed then they are going ot have to go into that meeting with some intelligence and tact behind them.
If the 2 of you go to this meeting, I believe the commish will at least take it under advisory…

lsense (Anonymous) says…

ksdivakat,
Wow! You truly are a tool!

KSA_21_3503 (Anonymous) says…

“But what happnes is NWS doesnt pick up the rotation but spotters do??!! This HAS indeed happened right here in DG county….so then the sirens dont sound?? It has to either be the counties call or NWS call…cant have both…”

How do you figure that? Of course it could be both. That is exactly how most reasonable counties do it. Sound the sirens if EITHER the NWS issues a tornado warning OR if a trained spotter, eh, spots a tornado.

KSA_21_3503 (Anonymous) says…

“cmdln…..its my understanding that this is the current policy, either when NWS issues it OR a trained spotter sees it…..keep in mind NWS is a state agency…EOC is county agency, so you have 2 brances of the govnmt who are eiach going ot pass the buck so to speak…NWS does not and will not be responsible for activation of sirens….so you have to work within your means….and you have to know how to rebutt what is going ot be said in this meeting.”

You need to go back and actually read the policy. That is not at all what it states. Here is the ACTUAL policy for all you people who like to speak without having any idea what you are talking about:

“The outdoor warning sirens for any or all of the cities in Douglas County are activated when a local determination is made that a tornado threat to the area exists. This determination is made by Douglas County Emergency Management staff and will be based on the evaluation of all available information. This may include, but is not limited to, National Weather Service watch and/or warning text, weather radar and reports from trained weather spotters or law enforcement officers.

The decision to activate the sirens will normally be made by the Emergency Management Duty Officer.”

Now, for those of you who haven't quite grasped the English language, I will explain to you what this says. As of right now, the ONLY way that the sirens get set off is if the Emergency Management Duty Officer decides to set it off. There is no provision for automatic setting off by an NWS issued tornado warning.

No one is advocating that we remove this subjective ability of the EMDO, but rather that we include a provision, a la Sedgwick County, stating that the tornado sirens will be set off every time that the NWS issues a tornado warning. This does not, in any way, remove the ability of the EMDO to set off the sirens if the situation warrants it without NWS action, but rather includes an automatic trigger for the sirens so the EMDO does not have to make a call when the NWS already has. It eliminates the EMDO's ability to overrule the NWS, since, after all, the NWS is made up of actual meteorologists as opposed to people like Bob Newton (idiots).

Therefore, if, for example, we were to experience 120 mph straight line winds, the NWS would not issue a tornado warning, but, assuming that the new EMDO is competent, the sirens could still be set off at his discretion. We are saying that this discretion should be removed in the case of an NWS issued tornado warning, nothing else.

KSA_21_3503 (Anonymous) says…

Of course, what you are failing to remember is that the spotters don't just work for the county, they also work for the NWS.

Thus, if a tornado is spotted, the NWS will issue a tornado warning, per policy:

“Tornado Warning
This is issued when a tornado is indicated by the WSR-88D radar or sighted by spotters; therefore, people in the affected area should seek safe shelter immediately. They can be issued without a Tornado Watch being already in effect. They are usually issued for a duration of around 30 minutes.

A Tornado Warning is issued by your local National Weather Service office (NWFO). It will include where the tornado was located and what towns will be in its path. If the tornado will affect the nearshore or coastal waters, it will be issued as the combined product—Tornado Warning and Special Marine Warning. If the thunderstorm which is causing the tornado is also producing torrential rains, this warning may also be combined with a Flash Flood Warning. If there is an ampersand (&) symbol at the bottom of the warning, it indicates that the warning was issued as a result of a severe weather report.

After it has been issued, the affected NWFO will followed it up periodically with Severe Weather Statements. These statements will contain updated information on the tornado and they will also let the public know when warning is no longer in effect.”

iloveyoutoo (Anonymous) says…

Wow! Ksdivakat, I am amazed that you didn't give some sort of rebuttal regarding Roadrunner and CG's comments!!!! Funny thing is….they both gave the same argument that we all have been giving….I guess you just applaud them because they didn't point out how ignorant YOUR comments have been.

KSA_21_3503 (Anonymous) says…

Hence, if a tornado is spotted, a tornado warning will be issued by the NWS, and the sirens will be sounded.

The only instance when the discretion would be left to the EMDO is when the circumstances are not those of a tornado, but still severe. There is no reason to completely remove the EMDO's ability to sound the sirens, but he should not be able to overrule the NWS, since they are the experts.

domino (Anonymous) says…

KSZ-21-3503 - you remind me of the old saying, “Arguing with a farmer is pretty much like wrestling a pig in the mud –— sooner or later you figure out that the pig is enjoying it!” LOL

Multidisciplinary (Anonymous) says…

Not going to roll on the floor, as that would be too pig-like..but that there's funny I don't care who you are!

OnlyTheOne (Anonymous) says…

It's worked for years. Leave it alone.

And as an aside for KSA_21_3503.
You really should reconsider this comment, “the NWS is made up of actual meteorologists as opposed to people like Bob Newton (idiots).”
Those “meteorologists” in many instances have a heck of a lot less experience with inclement weather in this part of the country than Mr. Newton and I assure you he is far from an “idiot.”
Now, however, in considering your position in the hierarchy of intelligent things I'm wondering where to locate you…….

KSA_21_3503 (Anonymous) says…

“Those “meteorologists” in many instances have a heck of a lot less experience with inclement weather in this part of the country than Mr. Newton and I assure you he is far from an “idiot.”
Now, however, in considering your position in the hierarchy of intelligent things I'm wondering where to locate you…….”

Oh, sorry, I didn't know that Bob Newton was a meteorologist. Am I mistaken, then, that he ignored the warning issued by trained meteorologists? Hmm….

Considering that the NWS issued a tornado warning (extremely rare), considering that there was at least one confirmed tornado (EF2) on the ground in Douglas County, and considering that Bob Newton, unilaterally, decided that there was not actually a tornado threat by not sounding the tornado sirens, I think the facts speak for themselves.

Defend this moron all you want, but you cannot deny the facts. The fact is that he put lives at risk, yet you want to play the role of apologist.

You assert that the NWS meteorologists have less experience than Bob Newton. Considering that even with this bald assertion, not supported by the facts, that they were right and he was wrong, I think it is pretty clear whom we should be trusting. Trained meteorologists whose job it is to predict severe weather or Bob Newton who just happens to have lived here for maybe longer? (Of course, you are just making that up without any evidence)

Bob Newton has NO training in severe weather prediction. He spit in the face of those who do. He should be fired for putting lives at risk.

cmdln (Anonymous) says…

KSA_21_3503,
Are you kidding me? This isn't about the NWS automatically triggering the damn sirens! Its about the Emergency Management Duty Officer or whoever is supposed to push the big red button doing their job. Taking information that is available from trained spotters or NWS and acting on it is what this is about. I know it must be hard for some guy to hear a NWS warning and for that signal to make it all the way to his pea brain, and then be expected to generate another signal to extend the finger and depress the button. Common, danger reported by a trained spotter or the NWS warrants sounding of the sirens. Its the responsibility of the EMDO to sound the alarm. Its their responsibility to listen to the reports that warrant the siren. The guy on the button does not have to have the tornado rip his door off before he sounds the alarm. This whole thing is ridiculous. I have now wasted multiple of minutes of my life that I will never get back because people are too dense to understand that if there is danger, and a qualified responsible person reports said danger, anyone who is in or near said danger should be warned if infrastructure currently in place and is properly functioning and could possibly save them from harm.

KSA_21_3503 (Anonymous) says…

cmdln,

Did you even bother to read my comment. I completely agree with you.

KSA_21_3503 (Anonymous) says…

Apparently Bob Newton's arrogance goes back several years:

http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2003/may/10…

And a gem that I found from a national severe weather discussion board in regards to Bob Newton and his inaction last week:

“The Douglas County EMA duty officer sounds like a twit. He has the authority to activate the sirens but didn't, even though there was a Tornado Warning issued for his county? That's like playing Russian Roulette with thousands of lives! His authority and credibility need to be questioned immediately by his superiors. In the county that I live in, if we go under a Tornado Warning, the sirens are immediately activated.

Stupidity and ignorance is what keeps firefighters, paramedics/EMTs, cops and hospitals (and funeral homes) in business.”

cmdln (Anonymous) says…

You just said that I needed to re-read the policy. That is the same thing I said before, only slightly harsher.

KSA_21_3503 (Anonymous) says…

cmdln,

I wasn't talking to you. Re-read the post. Geez… notice the quotation marks. I was responding to ksdivakat.

Another one from an Emergency Management Officer in Colorado regarding Bob Newton:

“however, tornado sirens SHOULD be sounded at night if there is something.
Some people WILL hear them. They may also call others who many not.
If ya got these expensive sirens, use them.
I'd be angry, too, if a valid warning was not sounded.”

monkeyspunk (Anonymous) says…

The fact that the county commission thinks this needs to be discussed in length just cracks me up. Do they need to consult the public on every decision? Isn't the point of a representative democracy to have these people be able to make decisions on their own and be able to amend previous decisions, especially ones they came up with on their own in the first place!

Seriously? What do we pay them for?

OK, I will help you guys:

IF

NWS issues a Tornado warning for a specific area of Douglas County or the entire county.

OR

If a trained spotter or Law Enforcement official spots what they believe is tornadic (sp) activity within Douglas County/Lawrence.

THEN

Sound the fricking sirens.

If the NWS warning is very specific (which they usually are), then sound sirens for that specific area. They have the capability to do that per the EM Website.

It's not very hard folks, when it comes down to it you are changing an “and” to an “or” in your conditions.

Got that? Can we take that raise we…I mean…YOU gave yourselves back now?

KSA_21_3503 (Anonymous) says…

Amen, monkeyspunk, amen.

Clearly these people are incompetent.

Lynn731 (Anonymous) says…

You CAN hear the siren out in the county. We live 1/2 mile from Lecompton, and we can hear the siren inside our house. So although I do have a working weather radio, the siren should be sounded whenever Douglas county is put under a tornado warning. We hear it, our dog hears it, and she wakes us up if the weather radio does not. They need to fire the entire emergency management department and hire some people with some common sense. Thank you, Lynn

Lynn731 (Anonymous) says…

P.S. The county commission are a bunch of idiots too! We remember the 50% raise at Christmas, and the bridge closing, and so much more. Start looking for a job where you really have to work boys. Thank you, Lynn

JerryStubbs (Anonymous) says…

I imagine that those guys staying up late all night, watching the radars, getting calls from spotters, etc, would LOVE to hit that button to set off the siren— finally, their big chance.

But everytime they did that and no tornado hit town their credibility would be diminished. People wouldn't take it seriously. We'd all be complaining about false alarms. Going down to the basement in the middle of the night for nothing—what a pain.

KSA_21_3503 (Anonymous) says…

“But everytime they did that and no tornado hit town their credibility would be diminished. People wouldn't take it seriously. We'd all be complaining about false alarms. Going down to the basement in the middle of the night for nothing—what a pain.”

And so they choose not to sound the siren when there is actually a tornado? Makes a lot of sense. Well, even though this is the real deal, we don't want to give the impression of a false alarm, so we won't sound the sirens even though a tornado is on the ground… laugh.

Fire Bob Newton.

JerryStubbs (Anonymous) says…

there was no tornado in lawrence

KSA_21_3503 (Anonymous) says…

There was a tornado in Douglas County. The sirens are operated by Douglas County. The tornado did was in areas that there were tornado sirens. But, as usual, you apologists refuse to acknowledge the FACTS.

http://www.douglas-county.com/depts/em/d…

On top of this, the system that had a history of producing tornadoes before and after it entered Douglas County did cross Lawrence. Quit making excuses. There was a tornado, Bob Newton screwed up. Let's make sure this doesn't happen again.

KsTwister (Anonymous) says…

Lawrence escaped the touchdown but it was here, enough of us heard and saw (as much as you can in pitch darkness). We were not running at 1:30 in the morning for nothing and 'yelling like a bunch of girls' to boot. Apologies to the ladies.

max1 (Anonymous) says…

“when you actually hear the sirens, the urgency of taking cover really kicks in for many and that's not going to change.” -road_Runner

Every time the sirens have sounded in my neighborhood, most residents (primarily KU students) rush outside to see what the commotion is all about, and they remain outside until the alert quits sounding.
I know, because I'm usually out there too.

Meatwad (Anonymous) says…

Being able to get proper info via radio is important. I found it difficult to tune in stations last week during the storm.

road_Runner (Anonymous) says…

“Every time the sirens have sounded in my neighborhood, most residents (primarily KU students) rush outside to see what the commotion is all about, and they remain outside until the alert quits sounding.
I know, because I'm usually out there too”

Hahaha….touché. :)

I'm just as guilty as well although I think I do have a tendency to get on my neighbors and friends nerves as I won't shut-up about the structure of the storm we're all staring at…they could care less. All they want to know is if the storm is going to do something, heh.

When storms hit in the middle of the night, I believe there is more of an urgency to take cover upon hearing the sirens as you're not able to see what's heading in your direction and that can be very unsettling.

Guardian (Anonymous) says…

Which is cheaper, activating sirens or facing several multi-million dollar civil suiits for negligence and deriliction of duty?