Does Knoxville have tornado sirens?
When a tornado is approaching, advance warnings are issued to give people a chance to take shelter and hopefully stay safe.
In Knoxville and Knox County, however, those warnings do not include the kind of outdoor tornado sirens familiar to those in other areas of the country. Why not?
Outdoor community sirens aren't considered the best way to send out tornado warnings.
"Sirens have some notable limitations and they’re not the most efficient or cost-effective way of warning the community," Colin Ickes, director of the Knoxville-Knox County Emergency Management Agency, told Knox News after a 3-mile-long EF2 tornado tore through West Knoxville in August. "Sirens are limited in their effectiveness since they are intended only to warn people who are outdoors. If you live very close to a siren, you may be able to hear it inside, but even if you’re close, it’s unlikely that you’ll hear it if you are watching TV, listening to music or sleeping."
Outdoor sirens aren't nuanced or informative, Ickes added.
"They serve as a 'tap on the shoulder' to get attention and warn people that there is a problem, but then it’s up to them to know what to do or to seek additional information about the emergency," he said.
Sirens typically cost between $30,000 and $50,000 each to install, Ickes said. The total cost in Knox County would likely be somewhere between $6 million and $12 million initially, plus ongoing maintenance and operating expenses.
While Knox County never had a tornado siren system, it did have air raid sirens installed in the 1950s.
Justin Birchfiel, who has saved and restored a Knoxville Thunderbolt air raid siren from Prosser and Buffat Mill roads, has said only three sirens remain from the Cold War era system that was dismantled in the 1980s. The Tennessee Siren Enthusiasts Group has been trying to obtain and restore them, potentially for use as a tornado warning system.
So what's the best way to get weather warnings?
Ickes recommended residents purchase digital weather radios, which are relatively inexpensive devices. The radios can relay watches and warnings from the National Weather Service, as well as information such as Amber Alerts from police. Users can set them to receive notices specific to a certain county or agency.
If you prefer a mobile-friendly alternative, the Knox County Commission has established an emergency warning system that sends alerts by text, email or voice phone call. Users can choose the locations for alerts, such as a home or work address.
"The system will automatically relay warnings from the National Weather Service for things like tornado warnings or severe thunderstorm warnings and it can also be used by Knox 911 to send warning messages for things like hazardous materials emergencies or active shooter incidents," Ickes said.
To register for the emergency warning service, sign up for the system by going to https://knoxcounty.org/alert/index.php. You can also sign up by calling 311 or 865-215-4311.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tornado sirens: Why Knoxville doesn't have them
