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But combat veterans will tell you: you don’t hear the bullet coming that hits you.
Severe thunderstorms and tornados are sometimes the same.
Unfortunately, too many of us rely on a wartime relic — the tornado siren — to determine when it’s time to take shelter out of harm’s way.
Experts in recent years have promoted all-hazard radios, commonly called weather radios, as a more reliable warning than sirens.
Sirens are a Cold War relic pressed into weather duties. But you won’t always hear one before a tornado strikes.
Two tornados that touched down in the Northland early Friday are proof. They hit about 2 a.m. in Gladstone and Kansas City, North, destroying some houses and severely damaging others.
Those twisters formed and disappeared quickly along a rapidly moving thunderstorm front. No tornado warnings were issued and thus no sirens sounded. Forecasters were not sure whether they were straight-line winds or tornados until they checked the wreckage after daylight arrived.
There were no fatalities, but there were injuries, especially from flying glass.
Shelter during such events can be the difference between life and death.
Tornados can turn massive homes into splinters in seconds. Glass and shattered wood become flying daggers. Wind that can pick up cars can also hurl humans.
Usually we watch these storms develop in late afternoon and follow their progress as darkness falls, then they pass.
But weather doesn’t always follow the pattern.
These tornados formed, touched down and dissipated in a matter of minutes, according to the National Weather Service. And since the agency forecasters issued no formal tornado warning, communities didn’t sound sirens for the 2 a.m. storm.
This was at a time when most of us were asleep as the storm approached.
So why would a weather radio help in that situation?
Because, forecasters did issue severe thunderstorm and hurricane-force wind warnings before the storm hit. Twice in fact.
A weather radio is usually silent. But when such a warning is issued, an alarm sounds that can wake you up. The radio will then give you recorded or live messages from forecasters about the type of storm, its path and what time the storm will arrive in a community.
Prudent people in the path will seek shelter, or at least be alert to sudden problems, such as a tornado forming quickly.
Most people will click on the television. But what if power lines are down — does your TV run on batteries?
A weather radio can be plugged in or run on batteries, and it can be carried to the basement with you.
Sirens are a backup system.
They’re not designed for people in houses but rather to warn people outdoors. Combine wind and storm noise with heavily insulated modern houses, and you may not hear sirens even if they are turned on.
Weather radios are cheap, mine cost $30, and they’re available at grocery, hardware and electronic stores. Most have AM/FM, so you can listen to the ball game on them when the weather is good.
Each spring, experts urge people to buy weather radios rather than relying on sirens.
But last week, and after the tornados that struck the Northland five years ago, people lamented — we didn’t hear the sirens.
It’s a cold, wet fact that your safety is in your hands. There’s only so much that public agencies can do when tremendous atmospheric energies are erupting in crazy patterns across a broad region.
Common sense, caution and a good weather radio are your most reliable defenses.
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