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When the tornado sirens go off, what do you do?
| Response | Percent | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Go outside | 48% | 1032 | |
| Turn on the TV | 27% | 596 | |
| Take cover | 19% | 421 | |
| Turn on my comptuer | 4% | 90 | |
| Total | 2139 | ||
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Comments
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Boston_Corbett (anonymous) says…
I twitter with J Kealing and other weatherpalooza intelligencia.
tumbilweed (anonymous) says…
Wait a few minutes for someone to blame it on the liberal left-wing regime, which of course are going to socialize the country with mass hysteria and tornado sirens...
Gootsie (anonymous) says…
go of?
mom_of_three (anonymous) says…
How about "all of the above." I turn on the tv and the computer, figure out where it is at, then if I can, try to go outside and look. Spent 99% of my life of Kansas and haven't seen a tornado (in person) yet. Some would call that lucky, but I didnt say I wanted to be in one. Just want to see one, from a very safe distance.
vertigo (Jesse Crittenden) says…
Had this one touchdown about 2 miles south of my house last night. Typically when it's just me and the family we'll head down to the basement but last nigt we had a group of friends over... well when you get a bunch of rowdy friends together with plenty of drinks in em, add in tornado siren with a confirmed tornado down nearby the obvious thing to do is spend the next couple of hours outside staring at the clouds.
maxcrabb (anonymous) says…
Duh... go outside.
alakazam (anonymous) says…
i go sit in front of the computer and tv by front of a window with a clear view if the skies
Yeoman2 (anonymous) says…
I sit and mull my career choice, that I should have been a weatherman. Where else can you have a job, get paid, and be wrong so often and still keep your job.
tangential_reasoners_anonymous (anonymous) says…
I descend to the realm of the Morlocks.
classclown (Class Clown) says…
I go outside and check to see if it's yet another false alarm. Are they capable of turning on the sirens only in the area(s) where there is actually danger and not in areas where there is none?
To keep sounding the sirens in areas where there is no actual danger is basically fear mongering and quite frankly irresponsible.
The_Original_Bob (anonymous) says…
Yesterday, I heard the sirens, looked at radar on computer and tv and then walked up the hill. Didn't like what I saw so went back inside and took cover for a couple minutes.
LogicMan (anonymous) says…
Well, logically, we do nothing when they "go off".
When they activate, now that's more interesting!!!
Centurion (anonymous) says…
I grab the camera and scanner and head towards the truck.
Bucker00 (anonymous) says…
Whenever I hear that sound, I give thanks that the man who invented the telephone had "Bell" as his last name as opposed to "Siren". If you think 3 am phone calls are bad now...
snap_pop_no_crackle (anonymous) says…
I send the lemurs down into the cellar wearing their bike helmets.
cellogrl (anonymous) says…
I turn on the TV and make sure it's not over my house and THEN I go outside. :)
travelinggeek (anonymous) says…
didn't hear anything sounding like a train, so I turned on the tv and saw it was not anywhere near us. We did keep the tv tuned in though. We have a basement, but it's an old house and an old damp basement, not very comfortable, so we don't want to go down there and spend an hour or so. However, if it had looked/sounded like there was one anywhere near, I would have gone down there immediately. I'm glad they went off, otherwise we would have had no clue anything that serious was going on. I also wish they didn't have to sound the entire county's siren's at once. It would be very nice if they could only sound the ones in the immediate area. Be that as it may, the sirens still serve a purpose to keep us all aware.
Vinny1 (anonymous) says…
travelinggeek said, "I'm glad they went off, otherwise we would have had no clue anything that serious was going on."
Either:
1. You were not in the area of the actual storm. or
2. You need to pull your head out and take a look outside. It was pretty obvious to anyone that there was some severe storm activity in the skies above.
Starness34 (anonymous) says…
I think people are too casual about severe weather and act as if it is an inconvenience. If the sirens go off that means you need to take cover, the weather conditions are perfect for a tornado. The inconvenience is worth your life or the life of another.
jumpin_catfish (anonymous) says…
Wait a few minutes for someone to blame it on the conservative right-wingers, which of course are going to cause old people to starve and be mean to captured terrorist with mass hysteria and tornado sirens…
denak (anonymous) says…
I think like most native Kansans, I pretty much ignore it. I'll open the door, look outside, if there is nothing blowing around, I'll just leave the door open, turn on the t.v. and pretty much wait to see what happens if anything.
Yes, that is a very blase attitude but after 30 plus years living in Kansas, living through an earthquake in California and a hurricane in Japan, a tornado just isn't all that interesting.
Dena
bearded_gnome (anonymous) says…
didn't have this option:
turn on radio/scanner. that's what I do.
we'll see about tonight, won't we?
Slackermom3 (anonymous) says…
Ditto! Mom_of_Three
Irish (Leslie Swearingen) says…
I am using a digital camera for the first time so I want to take a really good picture of a tornado.
I look at radar on the Internet while looking over at the television now and then.
My daughter lives near Walmart and she called me and I could hear sirens where she lived as well as at 11th and Vermont. Nothing ever happened.
So from now on I am just going to totally ignore the siren.
And, hope I don't miss a good picture.
liquideve (anonymous) says…
I load up the hot air balloon and take a ride.
Danimal (anonymous) says…
I usually go outside and look a the clouds if it's not too rough out.
bearded_gnome (anonymous) says…
two other options they could have added to the poll:
e. I turn on the weather channel.
f. I turn on the weather channel for the wonderful jazzy music and the informative programs that have nothing to do with current conditions.
***
Irish Hermicleo, you are an idiot, change your name to casualty.
The_Original_Bob (anonymous) says…
"So from now on I am just going to totally ignore the siren."
/Darwin Award'd.
RETICENT_IRREVERENT (Ronaldo Ignacio) says…
T_O_B,
Is Katie prego again, or just wearing a jacket that is not complementary of her figure?
gphawk89 (anonymous) says…
Grab the video camera and run outside, of course.
RoeDapple (anonymous) says…
I turn the volume down on the weather radio, throw a pillow over it and try to get back to sleep.
autie (anonymous) says…
I go outside to look and consult with the neighbor. Wife is with the TV duty and daughter on the puter...If the frieght train sound comes roaring up the street, I reckon we would hit the neighbors basement. We watched one go by last year..it was just west of town and was clearly visible..and I didn't like it that close. Denak..only boring if it not coming down your driveway.
jkilgore (anonymous) says…
Here in Jefferson County, the tornado siren means that the tornado has already passed over and you survived. It's a happy sound.
KUweatherman (Curtis Lange) says…
Go outside, of course.
yoornotmee (anonymous) says…
I go outside and see how serious the weather looks. Then I go inside, check ljworld.com (don't have TV), pack the diaper bag, put socks next to my shoes, put harnesses on the dogs, locate the cat carriers, put the cats somewhere where I can find them quickly, answer the phone ("you're in a tornado!" "no I'm not"), go back outside to reassess, then resume wasting away on the Internet.
Rabbitgoesthump (anonymous) says…
Where is option :: grab police scanner camera and go chasing?
i went tonight again till it got to dark...
classclown (Class Clown) says…
I'm pretty sure Katie Horner was in charge of sounding the sirens in Lawrence yesterday.
KUweatherman (Curtis Lange) says…
Why's that? The sirens were VERY warranted for the conditions in the city yesterday. Multiple funnels were seen over the city as well as the reports of rotation. I, myself, witnessed rotation that looked like it could have dropped a tornado at anytime just west of Bob Billings and Kasold.
Not to mention that after all this was going on, a confirmed tornado DID form just east of the city.
asonesign175 (anonymous) says…
i was getting ready to leave for Show time, was about two minutes from leaving acctually, then the sirens went off, and my whole family( all 14 of us) ran outsided- including the dog to look at what was there, we were out there for about thirty minutes before we started to see the clouds that were rotating, then about ten minutes after that they were right over us and the wind went from close to nothing to close to 50 mph!, it was pretty sweet, the sand hitting you in the face wasnt that great but the storm was awesome!, but ya after the rotation went over the house it calmed back down and then started to down pour on us, and then i left for showtime.... an hour and a half late haha
tunahelper (anonymous) says…
go outside with a Bud Lite Lime! and a bag of Doritos.
number3of5 (anonymous) says…
I pay attention to the weather by means of the television and computer. I listen to the sirens go off. As for taking the precaution of going to the basement, I leave that to my own feeling of the weather outside. At night it is harder to assess the clouds than in the daylight, but the wind, rain, sounds, or lack of them all carry messages about the storm.
notajayhawk (anonymous) says…
How come there was no choice for:
5) Bend over, place your head between your knees, and kiss your ___ goodbye!
The closest I've been to a tornado was when I lived in another state. The tornado warning was set to expire in 3 minutes when the power went out - a half-hour later, with the power still out, I went by the last information I had and assumed the warning was over and the danger had passed. It was after midnight, but in the dark I could see the trees outside blowing wildly. The cats were fascinated, standing at the open door to the deck and watching it all, while I read a book by candle light. The next day my co-workers asked how close the tornado had come to my place, and I said "Tornado?" After buying a paper and seeing the map of the track, it literally hopped right over me. Never heard a siren, even with the door open.
passionatelibra (anonymous) says…
I watch the TV, log into nws/noaa and look out the window. The sirens caught my attention but I have to admit I was a little confused. They would sound then stop then sound then stop. Could someone please explain the reasoning behind that? Nicely? Thank you!
classclown (Class Clown) says…
Your guess is as good as mine.
lawrence_kansas_usa (anonymous) says…
The house I currently live in does not have a basement.
In the past, when the tornado siren has gone off....
I just sat there in my chair and prayed.
yankeelady (anonymous) says…
All of the above.
Code_2008 (anonymous) says…
E. Tornado Chasing!
Irish (Leslie Swearingen) says…
We are all rats in a maze created by aliens and now and then they set off the sirens to see what we will do. It's all about how we learn about pleasure and pain and the difference.
If anyone has a better theory, let's have it.
:-)
passionatelibra (anonymous) says…
Irish - That explains why I love cheese so much!!!