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PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN CASS COUNTY WILL HEAR A CHANGE WHEN IT COMES TO SEVERE WEATHER SIRENS. THE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY SAYS THOSE EMERGENCY ALARMS WILL NO LONGER RUN CONTINUOUSLY. KETV NEWSWATCH SEVEN’S EDDIE MESSEL BREAKS DOWN WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW FROM PLATTSMOUTH. IN CASS COUNTY. DURING SEVERE WEATHER, YOU USED TO HEAR SIRENS LIKE THIS. THEY WOULD GO OFF FOR 30 TO 40 MINUTES FOR THE DURATION OF A TORNADO WARNING, DANGEROUS WINDS OR DAMAGING HAIL. HOWEVER, THAT WOULD NO LONGER BE THE CASE. WE FOUND THEM FOR ONE THREE MINUTE DURATION FOR THE TORNADO. THAT SHOULD TELL PEOPLE TO MOVE INDOORS OR SEEK SHELTER. EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY, CASS COUNTY SIRENS WILL SOUND ONE TIME PER WARNING, PER STORM CELL. THERE WILL BE NO ALL CLEAR SIREN. IF A SIREN SOUNDS AGAIN LATER, THAT INDICATES A WARNING. ACCORDING TO CASS COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT DIRECTOR CHAD CURTI, WE’RE NOT MAKING THIS CHANGE TO, YOU KNOW, HINDER ANYTHING THAT WE WERE DOING BEFORE. WE BELIEVE THIS. THIS WILL ACTUALLY MAKE THINGS SAFER AND NOT GIVE ANYBODY THAT FALSE SENSE THAT THERE’S AN ALL CLEAR WHEN IT MAY NOT BE. THIS POLICY IS NOT NEW TO NEBRASKA. IT ALREADY EXISTS IN DOUGLAS, SARPY, WASHINGTON, AND MANY OTHER COUNTIES AROUND THE STATE. OMAHA’S CHIEF METEOROLOGIST BILL RANDBY SAYS CONSISTENCY IS IMPORTANT. SAME THING IN PLATTSMOUTH. MAYBE YOU CAN HEAR THE SIRENS IN MILLS COUNTY THERE, BUT CASS COUNTY FOR NEBRASKA. ONE POLICY THE SAME AS OTHER COUNTIES. THE BEST THING WE CAN DO NOW, IT’S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER WHERE WE’RE AT. WE ARE OUTSIDE. THESE ARE OUTDOOR SIRENS. THEY ARE NOT MEANT TO WAKE YOU UP OUT OF YOUR SLEEP. THEY ARE MEANT FOR ANYBODY OUTSIDE WHO DON’T HAVE INSTANT ACCESS TO ANOTHER NOTIFICATION METHOD. NOW, OF COURSE, IF YOU DO HEAR THESE SIRENS WHILE YOU’RE OUTSIDE, GET TO YOUR NEAREST SHELTER. AND THEN ONCE YOU’RE THERE, OF COURSE A WEATHER RADIO OR SOMETHING ON HAND LIKE YOUR PHONE TO RECEIVE THOSE SEVERE WEATHER UPDATES. I UNDERSTAND THAT PEOPLE ARE USED TO HOW IT’S ALWAYS BEEN, BUT WHEN YOU ARE CONTINUOUSLY SOUNDING THE SIRENS, YOU DON’T HAVE A SENSE FOR. IS THE THREAT STILL ONGOING? WAS IT ALL BECAUSE OF THE FIRST SIGHTING? IS THERE A TORNADO ON THE GROUND
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Cass County Emergency Management discusses new tornado siren policy
Cass County Emergency Management director believes new tornado siren policy will be safer for residents
Cass County can expect a difference in its tornado sirens effective immediately ahead of the severe weather season, according to Cass County Emergency Management Director Chad Korte. “We sound them for one three-minute duration for the tornado that should tell people to move indoors or seek shelter,” Korte said.READ MORE: Cass County announces changes to tornado siren systemIn Cass County, tornado sirens will sound one time per warning, per storm cell. There will not be an all-clear siren, and if a siren sounds again later, that indicates a new tornado warning. Sirens will be sounded for tornado warnings, dangerous hail, and dangerous winds.”We’re not making this change to hinder anything we were doing before; we believe this will actually make things safer and not give anybody that false sense there’s an all clear when there might not be,” Korte said.This policy is not new to Nebraska. It already exists in Douglas, Sarpy, Washington and many other counties around the state. In the words of KETV Chief Meteorologist Bill Ranby, consistency is important.”Same thing in Plattsmouth, maybe you can hear the sirens in Mills County there, but Cass County for Nebraska one policy, the same as other counties, the best thing we can do,” Randby said.It’s a change that may take some adjustment for citizens of Cass County, but will be helpful in the long run.”I understand that people are used to how it’s always been, but when you are continuously sounding the sirens, you don’t have a sense for, is the threat still ongoing? Was it all because of the first sighting? Is there a tornado on the ground? So just a lot of confusion with that,” Randby said.The new policy will also save wear and tear on the sirens. Before the policy change, the sirens could run as long as 30 to 40 minutes through an entire tornado warning, which could burn out the battery and shorten the life of the siren.Make sure you can always see the latest news, weather, sports and more from KETV NewsWatch 7 on Google Search.NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Local News | National | Sports | Newscasts on demand |
Cass County can expect a difference in its tornado sirens effective immediately ahead of the severe weather season, according to Cass County Emergency Management Director Chad Korte.
“We sound them for one three-minute duration for the tornado that should tell people to move indoors or seek shelter,” Korte said.
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READ MORE: Cass County announces changes to tornado siren system
In Cass County, tornado sirens will sound one time per warning, per storm cell. There will not be an all-clear siren, and if a siren sounds again later, that indicates a new tornado warning. Sirens will be sounded for tornado warnings, dangerous hail, and dangerous winds.
“We’re not making this change to hinder anything we were doing before; we believe this will actually make things safer and not give anybody that false sense there’s an all clear when there might not be,” Korte said.
This policy is not new to Nebraska. It already exists in Douglas, Sarpy, Washington and many other counties around the state. In the words of KETV Chief Meteorologist Bill Ranby, consistency is important.
“Same thing in Plattsmouth, maybe you can hear the sirens in Mills County there, but Cass County for Nebraska one policy, the same as other counties, the best thing we can do,” Randby said.
It’s a change that may take some adjustment for citizens of Cass County, but will be helpful in the long run.
“I understand that people are used to how it’s always been, but when you are continuously sounding the sirens, you don’t have a sense for, is the threat still ongoing? Was it all because of the first sighting? Is there a tornado on the ground? So just a lot of confusion with that,” Randby said.
The new policy will also save wear and tear on the sirens. Before the policy change, the sirens could run as long as 30 to 40 minutes through an entire tornado warning, which could burn out the battery and shorten the life of the siren.
Make sure you can always see the latest news, weather, sports and more from KETV NewsWatch 7 on Google Search.
NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Local News | National | Sports | Newscasts on demand |
