Photo courtesy of GCSO

It’s the second day of Severe Weather Awareness Week with the National Weather Service and today’s theme is Tornado Safety.

Greene County Sheriff Jack Williams tells Raccoon Valley Radio the county has several severe weather sirens that act as an early warning system whenever there is a tornado warning issued within the county. He says the city of Jefferson has about five, then each of the surrounding towns has one and Spring Lake Park has the newest severe weather siren that was installed two years ago. Williams clears up a misconception about the outdoor warning system.

“All of the sirens that we activate are outdoor warning sirens, which means they’re meant for people that are outside, so that they can get inside. And then you can buy just cheap little radios, weather radios, that you can program to get the warnings inside your residence. Because most residences if you’re not within a couple of blocks, if you’re inside you’re not going to hear them.”

Williams notes that when people outside hear the sirens, they should be going to the nearest building that has a basement, or the most interior room that does not have windows, along with most restrooms at parks that are block concrete and can provide shelter. He points out that sirens can be activated independently if a tornado warning is issued in one part of the county, and when that happens, the sirens will go off for three minutes and can be longer if a tornado has been confirmed, otherwise the sirens shut-off after three minutes and there is no all clear signal that is sounded.

Raccoon Valley Radio’s Severe Weather Action Team also provides local coverage of severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings that are issued in Greene, Guthrie or Dallas Counties until the storms move out of the area or drop below severe levels.