No warning of tornado for Millard (Omaha) residents 2 A.M. Sunday morning 500 homes damaged

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2798&u_sid=10353396

BY KAREN SLOAN
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

Millard residents had no warning of the tornado that ripped through their area Sunday.

Warning sirens did not sound until minutes after the tornado hit, local emergency officials said.

They said the National Weather Service didn't issue its tornado warning — which triggers the siren system — until after the tornado had touched down.

City officials met with representatives from the Douglas County Emergency Management Agency, Douglas County 911 and the weather service Monday to discuss the sequence of events.

The agency officials concluded that the weather circumstances of Sunday's tornado were unique and that little could have been done differently.

"From the information we have, it doesn't seem like anyone dropped the ball," Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey said.

Mark Conrey, director of the Douglas County 911 Center, said officials there will review tornado warning policies and will consider making high winds a potential trigger to set off the sirens.

"They were sitting there without any warning," Conrey said. "We got a call from someone who said their roof was gone, then the warning came in" from the weather service.

FULL story at link.

[iamjoy]

1. Scary

On the other hand, using high winds as a trigger for sirens may not be the best move. If high winds trigger it and people go into their shelters only to find out there is no storm - well, that happens enough times and people may stop taking the sirens as seriously.

I dunno, I'm in Florida. We have no sirens, we have no shelters. If we ever get an F-4 or F-5 the human cost would be horrendous.

[MuseRider]

2. That is very scary!

Are you close to the area? I hope you and yours are OK.

They spend days telling us we are all going to die on Thursday (well, not quite that bad) and then don't make it a priority to have enough weather radios for the population. Happened here last week. Signs all over town that they were sold out. If it was not the weather service who I respect quite a lot I would think somebody was getting a kick out of all the scare tactics they employ. Even I get scared and I love storms and rarely even flinch until things look dodgy close to me. Still, having the radios will only help with the warnings they give and everyone around this area should know that tornadoes are possible with a severe thunderstorm.

I sincerely hope they do not start with the sirens for high wind. Life is a risk and I think they do the best job that can be done now with things like they are. I say this with my house intact. I don't know how I would feel if I was one of those who lost theirs. Most likely I would feel the same way I do now but it never pays to be judgmental when it is someone else who suffered.

Night time tornadoes scare me the most.

[Omaha Steve]

4. ALL of my friends and family are fine

One co worker has a home that wasn't touched. 100 feet away is a home 1/2 gone.

[SheilaT]

3. At 2 A.M.

a lot of people would have been in bed, asleep, and may not have been awakened by the sirens.

However, I was once blasted awake by them at 7 A.M. I live real close to one of the towers, but when I'm sound asleep I don't know if I'd wake up. I've been known to sleep through small earthquakes.

[dixiegrrrrl]

6. I slept thru a hurricane !

It wasn't "supposed to" come our way, changed direction in the middle of the night, I woke up at 6 am to a lot of telephone messages and 2 feet of water around the house, 70 mile an hour winds gaining strength by the minute.
Got out fine, came back to 8 huge trees on the house.

so our town is still talking about a warning siren for tornadoes.
We get enough of them that a siren would be nice.
The dog will hear it and let us know..he lets us know of every rumble from a thunder storm in the next county.

[defendandprotect]

5. Bushed again --- "Doin' a great job, Brownie" . . .

A friend of mine in NC said that they had sirens going off for like 24 hours a few days ago warning of tornadoes ---

Are we counting on FEMA, Brownie --- National Guard?