Oklahoma Media - Weather Coverage

[ljbab728]

I just don't understands some people's logic at all. As I said, I appreciate the sirens whether I'm being directly affected or not. It's not just about my personal safety. Many times when sirens sound that I know don't affect me, I have contacted others that I know in more directly impacted areas to be sure they are aware and are safe. That give me much comfort and I hope they continue the policy exactly as it is.

[SoonerDave]

I just don't understands some people's logic at all. As I said, I appreciate the sirens whether I'm being directly affected or not. It's not just about my personal safety. Many times when sirens sound that I know don't affect me, I have contacted others that I know in more directly impacted areas to be sure they are aware and are safe. That give me much comfort and I hope they continue the policy exactly as it is.

How can I say this without sounding terse? This isn't about you being personally affected. It isn't about my being personally affected. It's about the unintended consequence and inherent inefficiency and waste of inappropriate warning. What logic is there in warning people where there is nothing to be warned about? I don't understand the logic of persisting a situation that implicitly rationalizes terrifying children in a city already terrorized by the reality of tornadoes, let alone ones not even threatening their city or their school!! It makes no more sense to warn the unthreatened than to take a medication for a disease I don't have - even if it makes someone else "feel better."

It's about businesses who lose employees that leave early because they hear severe weather is threatening somewhere it isn't. It's about the upheaval of an entire school for the better part of a day to respond to a non-existent threat. You deprive kids of a school day; you create needless angst and upset among children for absolutely no reason. It's about generations who have been trained to react to sirens now inadvertently being trained to ignore them because they go off inappropriately, creating the assumption that if they go of, "ehh, it's probably nothing." That's not a fantasy. That's happening right now.

This isn't about my missing a few minutes of my favorite TV show. It's about doing everything we can to leverage our information and our technology to get the critical information people need to the people who need it as efficiently as possible. And I will do as much as I can within reason to see that this current policy is completely revamped to mitigate the opportunity for any child to be terrorized by weather one second longer than is absolutely necessary. I'm sorry, ljbab, but I just can't go along with a situation that says its okay to terrify children for the sake of satisfying a bureaucrat or because it gives an unaffected third party some peculiar peace of mind.

This situation has to stop, and as I said, I will do what I can. We've got to stop just sitting by and allowing the status quo to persist merely for the fact that it's the status quo.

[ljbab728]

As I said, we totally disagree and I completely support continuing the policy as it is. I will let the city know that I appreciate it because the sirens are absolutely appropriate.

And as for your reference to my being an unaffected third party, if I have friends or loved one who in potential danger, I am hardly unaffected.

[Paseofreak]

Everyone needs to remember, the sirens are not just for storms, but for every threat and it is also meant simply as a noticication to check local media or government sources for more information. Therefore, another siren warning is valid if conditions change. It isn't meant to convey any specific threat or location. A tornado will have a very specific locale affected. A massive train derailment and release of chlorine gas could have a far more widespread impact. Again, the siren means you should check elsewhere for specifics.

[ljbab728]

Everyone needs to remember, the sirens are not just for storms, but for every threat and it is also meant simply as a noticication to check local media or government sources for more information. Therefore, another siren warning is valid if conditions change. It isn't meant to convey any specific threat or location. A tornado will have a very specific locale affected. A massive train derailment and release of chlorine gas could have a far more widespread impact. Again, the siren means you should check elsewhere for specifics.

You're absolutely correct and if get's your attention and don't already know what is happening any reasonable person would seek more information. The only time I don't worry is at noon on Saturday and they recently decided not to do that test one Saturday when storms were expected.

[venture]

So here is my question. Does OKC blow the entire city's sirens when a warning is put out for Canadian County?

Or let's take the argument with the storm in Purcell spawning tornadoes down there, which was not moving in the direction of OKC at all. If people are all about blowing a siren for that storm, why aren't they going off for every storm that is coming from Grady County up the turnpike? To me that would maybe make a little bit more sense than on a storm is going to completely miss the city unless it makes a hard left turn.

Based on recent activity I'm pretty sure OKC's sirens aren't sounded (in OK county) when either Canadian or Grady counties are under warnings. So here we have arrived at just cherry picking a situation for arguments sake while ignore other situations that are much more likely to threaten the city.

Sorry. I'm in the camp of over use of sirens will lead to people just ignoring them. We already have people whining that tornado warnings are being put out too much.

[woodyrr]

With regard to Venture’s question, I have heard Oklahoma City’s siren activation policy expressed by official spokespersons both as being limited to “all of its sirens in the county for which a warning has been issued” and, as recently as May 8, as “all sirens in the city” which would include sirens in at least three counties. Someone could nail the Emergency Management Director down on that.

What is now referred to as the “Weather Enterprise” faced a similar issue when the first NOAA weather alert radios came on the market. They all responded to a single 1050Hz audio tone and upon receiving the tone, every radio within about sixty miles of the transmitter site blared a loud alert tone and broadcast severe thunderstorm and tornado watches and severe thunderstorm, tornado, and flash flood warnings for any location within that radius. Consequently, and understandably, as a result of the very frequent alerts that did not remotely pertain to them, people were unplugging their radios especially at night when they needed warnings most. Fortunately, and not too long ago, a feature called “Specific Area Message Encoding (S.A.M.E.) allowed users to enter one or more six digit codes into their radios thereby allowing them to limit warnings to a single county or counties. The code for Oklahoma County is 040109. The first digit was set aside so each county could be subdivided into nine sub areas whereby the code to limit warnings to the far northeast corner of the county might be 340109. This feature has yet to be implemented and may not be if the weather radio manufacturers can incorporate an inexpensive GPS receiver or menu item where the user can enter the GPS coordinates into future radios allowing the radio to determine if it is in a polygon and to only respond to warnings within it. Another feature of newer weather radios further limits annoying alarms by allowing the end user to select which watches and warnings they desire to receive audible alerts. As an example, my weather radio is set for Oklahoma County only and I have opted out of audible alerts for all weather watches and warnings except tornado warnings. As a result of these improvements, more people are inclined to purchase weather radios and, much more important, they are more likely to leave them turned on and to react appropriately when they do alert.

I like to keep abreast of severe weather at my brother’s house in Dallas. For that, I use the WeatherRadio smartphone app by Weather Decision Technologies. Not only does it alert me to severe weather at home, it knows where I am and alerts me if I find myself in a warning polygon anywhere I go. I have set up my brother’s house as one of the locations I want to monitor and receive warnings when they are issued. I allow the app to alert to a somewhat broader selection of warnings than I do my NOAA weather radio.

[OkiePoke]

Maybe they need a PSA to let everyone know that they aren't 'Tornado Sirens' if they are going to be used the way they are currently.

[ou48A]

We need more of this in Oklahoma IMHO
This is good work by the NWS and Lamar Advertising Company

http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research...tal-billboards
"When Tornadoes Are Near, States Flash Warnings on Digital Billboards"

[SoonerDave]

Everyone needs to remember, the sirens are not just for storms, but for every threat and it is also meant simply as a noticication to check local media or government sources for more information. Therefore, another siren warning is valid if conditions change. It isn't meant to convey any specific threat or location. A tornado will have a very specific locale affected. A massive train derailment and release of chlorine gas could have a far more widespread impact. Again, the siren means you should check elsewhere for specifics.

While I appreciate the position taken in this post, I'd like to know of as many as even two or three times in my own lifetime that sirens were blown for other than tornadic warnings. I can't think of any.

[SoonerDave]

As I said, we totally disagree and I completely support continuing the policy as it is. I will let the city know that I appreciate it because the sirens are absolutely appropriate.

And as for your reference to my being an unaffected third party, if I have friends or loved one who in potential danger, I am hardly unaffected.

Then we must immediately extrapolate that "unaffected third party" position to blowing sirens in each and every county for each and every storm because, certainly, it wouldn't take much to discover that everyone might know someone in some other county and thus they all have to be warned.

Venture's post is a perfect illustration of precisely this point.

Surely there is a realization that such a notion can't be used as a basis for rational public policy.

[ljbab728]

Then we must immediately extrapolate that "unaffected third party" position to blowing sirens in each and every county for each and every storm because, certainly, it wouldn't take much to discover that everyone might know someone in some other county and thus they all have to be warned.

Venture's post is a perfect illustration of precisely this point.

Surely there is a realization that such a notion can't be used as a basis for rational public policy.

Actually, I would be fine with that but the city's realistic example of parents at work being warned about potential problems for children in another area of the city is a very realistic scenario and I feel it is an easy position to support and defend as rational public policy.

[woodyrr]

Here is a graphic of the tornado warning issued this morning that, according to my blown out twitter feed, resulted in outdoor warning sirens in south Oklahoma City being sounded.

[OkiePoke]

Here is a graphic of the tornado warning issued this morning that, according to my blown out twitter feed, resulted in outdoor warning sirens in south Oklahoma City being sounded.

I don't even pay attention to the sirens any longer.

[Robert_M]

Of course now Moore gets to spend the day responding to complains that they shouldn't have sounded the sirens even though it was OKC.

[adaniel]

AARON TUTTLE SMASH!!

Here?s audio of Aaron Tuttle screaming and yelling at Channel 5 coworkers? | The Lost Ogle

Audio NSFW

[LocoAko]

Here is a graphic of the tornado warning issued this morning that, according to my blown out twitter feed, resulted in outdoor warning sirens in south Oklahoma City being sounded.

Absurd. And check out this Facebook message from the City of Norman's Emergency Management Page. Sounds a little pointed and you can sense their frustration.

[Anonymous.]

I just got lost in a hilarious compilation of AT articles on TLO because of you posting this, thank you.

I had no idea he tried to charge people for personal forecasts... That is completely hilarious. I feel bad for his fanbase drinking the AT milk (shudder).

[woodyrr]

Thanks. I missed this post by Norman EM in my feed today. I am sure Emergency Management in both the City of Norman and, particularly, the City of Moore are very frustrated and with very good reason. Somehow, that frustration needs to be converted into positive action.

Absurd. And check out this Facebook message from the City of Norman's Emergency Management Page. Sounds a little pointed and you can sense their frustration.

[Bunty]

Oklahoma: Another soaking storm is on the way. | Oklahoma City - OKC - KOCO.com

[LocoAko]

Oklahoma: Another soaking storm is on the way. | Oklahoma City - OKC - KOCO.com

I don't have a problem with Damon's analysis per se, but that headline is awful and totally misleading. The article itself even says it could go either way (meaning it is entirely possible that it goes up to Nebraska, or Kansas). I know headlines and articles are written by different people, but I'd be PO'd if I was Damon Lane and that headline is what they got out of my writing.

[bandnerd]

I don't have a problem with Damon's analysis per se, but that headline is awful and totally misleading. The article itself even says it could go either way (meaning it is entirely possible that it goes up to Nebraska, or Kansas). I know headlines and articles are written by different people, but I'd be PO'd if I was Damon Lane and that headline is what they got out of my writing.

Yes, he should be pretty angry about that. It just makes for click-bait on KOCO.com.

[woodyrr]

It looks like the City of Oklahoma City is considering changing the siren activation policy from an "all call" to a "polygon" based system. A change is long overdue in my opinion. There is no point to having a sophisticated, dense warning siren system that nobody takes seriously because of perceived false alarms. Now, if we can get the weather radios to respond to polygon warnings, that would be great.

Possible changes in Oklahoma City?s tornado warning system | KFOR.com

[SoonerDave]

It looks like the City of Oklahoma City is considering changing the siren activation policy from an "all call" to a "polygon" based system. A change is long overdue in my opinion. There is no point to having a sophisticated, dense warning siren system that nobody takes seriously because of perceived false alarms. Now, if we can get the weather radios to respond to polygon warnings, that would be great.

Possible changes in Oklahoma City?s tornado warning system | KFOR.com

What irritates me is that since this has been possible (perhaps in varying degrees) since this system was installed just a few years ago, but the City has insisted it wasn't. This just confirms what we knew all along.

[woodyrr]

The article I linked reads differently than the article I saw last night. It appears instead of going to a "polygon" based activation, the City plans to divide the system into nine warning sectors. We'll have to see how it works in practice, but at brief first glance, it appears it might be a reasonable compromise between county based "all call" and "polygon".