Severe weather warning sirens in place for possible upcoming storms

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

In Boone County, there are about 80 outdoor warning sirens that are in service and are activated when a tornado warning is issued by the National Weather Service or a trained weather spotter.

"They will sound to alert individuals that are outdoors," said Chris Kelley with the Boone County Office of Emergency Management.

Kelley said the sirens are intended to be heard by people who may be outside during the time and not intended to be heard inside of a structure.

This method is used to alert members that are currently enjoying the outdoors to seek shelter.

Kelley said most of the urban areas in Boone County are covered by the sirens, but they are trying the expand the coverage.

This year, emergency management is working on adding eight new warning sirens around the county. The sirens were included in the department's budget by the county commission.

The county commission purchased two more sirens in a meeting Tuesday morning. Since approved, one siren each will be placed on Oakland Christian Church Road in north Columbia and American Setter Drive in Ashland, according to the meeting agenda.

Janet Thompson, Boone County Northern Commissioner, said she spoke to a landowner near one of the new sirens sites. Thompson said the landowner told her she has not been able to hear the sirens in the past from her location and is looking forward to the new addition.

An additional three sirens were discussed today and could be approved as early as Thursday, Thompson said. It includes one siren each at Rock Bridge State Park, Finger Lakes State Park and Katy Trail State Park.

"This is the time of year when we have bad weather and this is the time of year that it's towards the forefront of our minds that we are blessed to have this communication to inform the public of severe weather," Thompson said.

Thompson said the siren system is possible because of the people of Boone County that expressed the need in 2011 for an integrated 911 emergency management operation.

The distance that each siren can reach varies based on the geographical location.

"If you are in a hilly area, then you may have less coverage," Kelley said.

All of the distance requirements are based on a case-by-case basis according to an outdoor warning siren expert that works closely with the emergency management team.

Kelley said individuals who are indoors should be paying attention to other sources for weather alerts. He said verifying the warnings with multiple different outlets is important.

"Pay attention to news media outlets, radio and TV," said Kelley. "We encourage folks to invest in a weather radio which receives alerts from the National Weather Service about the incoming severe weather."

The ABC 17 Stormtrack Weather App can send alerts to your phone as soon as severe weather is tracked.

The test weather warning that went out last month brought concerns from many people throughout the state who were unsure if the alert was real. Kelley said a glitch in the National Weather Service computer system made it look like the test was a warning.

Kelley said it is important to check several media outlets in these situations.

The alert affected states across the Midwest including Missouri, Illinois and Kansas. Kelley said since the incident, the programming error has been corrected and will not happen in the future.