stormchaser06's Blog

Talking tornado sirens! Cool! I'm sure that it really isn't cool when they sound the alarm warning of an actual tornado, but the fact that somebody came up with this idea is pretty neat I think!

Now this also brings up a serious question that I've had for a long time.

Why don't we have these things around the Greater Houston Area?

If we do, then where are they? Are they ever used during an emergency?

I've never seen or even heard of them being used around here, and so that's what makes me think that we don't have them. Sure they can be annoying at times, but the important thing to remember is that it only takes that one time and you would always be grateful that we had them.

They're not only used for Tornado Warnings, that actually wasn't really the original idea for them at all. They really came into play during the Cold War and were used to warn of a nuclear missile launch by the Soviets. Later they gradually started being used to warn of Severe Weather and other emergencies, primarily tornadoes.

There are some of the original and older model sirens out there that are still being used today, and are even still painted the "CD yellow." The really "famous" ones were the Thunderbolt 1000's, like the one in the video below. Some of you may actaully remember these things from back in the day.... ha ha. :-) They are still used to warn of tornadoes in Wichita Falls, TX and Norman, OK; home of the National Weather Service, Storm Prediction Center, and National Severe Storms Laboratory.

If you still don't think that these Tornado Sirens are any good, then take a look at the second video below. Tornado Sirens sounded the alarm as a devastating tornado approached and then tore through McConnell Air Force Base in Kansas in April of 1991. Yes the tornado cut the power lines to the siren, but the warning still got out. And today, there are models available with back-up DC power that will keep the siren going another 15 minutes after the power has been cut.

I think we should have these sirens in the Houston Area. They are such a vital tool to alerting the general public of an emergency.

Not only do we get tornadoes here, but look at all the chemical and refining plants that we have around here as well as the Ship Channel. Suppose there was a major accident or (heaven forbid) some type of terrorist attack at one of these locations and it produced a large-scale immediate emergency. And you were out for a walk or running errands and didn't have the radio on. Or the radio station hadn't gotten word of the emergency. Or all primary communications lines (TV, radio, phone, internet, etc.) went down. 

Wouldn't it be good to know that something was wrong so that you could take appropriate action?

Federal Signal Thunderbolt 1000(T?) test in Wichita Falls, TX