Some rural areas near Kansas tornado had no siren coverage

By MARGARET STAFFORD
Associated Press

Some residents in rural Sedgwick County did not hear sirens going off before an EF-3 tornado struck the Wichita area. While most attention after Friday’s tornado centered on the heavily populated Wichita suburb of Andover, rural areas also suffered significant damage. Several homes were damaged and two people were injured in a rural neighborhood called Gypsum Township less than a mile outside Wichita city limits. Sedgwick County officials acknowledge many residents in rural areas might not have heard tornado sirens that are often miles away. They say several factors go into where the sirens are placed and it is not realistic to expect that all rural areas will be covered by tornado sirens.