Rowan County Installs Two New Outdoor Warning Sirens
Early warning is key for safety in emergency weather conditions, and the Rowan County Fiscal Court invested in the safety of our community by installing two new tornado sirens. We received grants which covered half the cost, and the Fiscal Court paid the other half. We've never had tornado sirens out in the county before, so we look forward to using this to determine their efficiency before installing more. Read a write up below from Emergency Management Director Jarred Moore about Outdoor Warning Sirens.
OUTDOOR WARNING SIRENS
Outdoor Warning Sirens may be activated for Tornado Warnings. Sirens are not activated for watches of any kind. Every siren in Rowan County is tested on the second Friday of each month at 12:00 p.m. noon so please listen for your siren and become familiar with the sound. If serious weather is predicted on test day, the test will be cancelled.
Outdoor Warning Sirens are only designed for “OUTDOOR NOTIFICATION” and are not intended to alert citizens who are already indoors. For indoor notification please go to smart911.com and sign up. If you hear a siren, immediately go indoors and tune in to local media sources for further information.
SIREN USE
For a tornado warning, sirens will be activated at any time of the day or night.
Once you have taken shelter or followed the instructions from the siren, monitor local radio or television or your NOAA weather radio for additional emergency information.
SIREN RANGE
The wailing sound of an outdoor warning siren is much like that of a police car, fire truck, or other emergency vehicle, only much, much louder. A siren’s alert tone can be heard outdoors about a mile and a half away from the siren site in all directions, depending on weather conditions.
Outdoor warning sirens are intended to warn people who are outdoors. They are not designed to notify people who are indoors. A siren loud enough for you to hear inside your house or workplace would be dangerously loud for nearby outdoor listeners. For indoor alerting, we strongly recommend you have a NOAA all-hazards weather radio.
SOUND
The Sirens are programmed for a Tornado Warning issued by the National Weather Service. This consists of a wail of 10 seconds up and 4 seconds down, being repeated for a duration of three (3) minutes and then it will cease noise.
PROTECTIVE ACTIONS
Tornado Watch – The NWS issues a Tornado Watch when weather conditions in an area indicate an increased risk for severe weather that may be capable of producing a tornado.
Tornado Warning – The NWS issues a Tornado Warning when a tornado has been sighted or indicated by weather radar. Take shelter IMMEDIATELY.
Warning times vary in the range of 10 to 15 minutes.
Occasionally, tornadoes develop without detection, and no official warnings can be made before touchdown.
WHEN ARE THEY NOT SOUNDED, AND WHY?
Tornado WATCH – Conditions are right for a tornado to form in the vicinity; stay alert.
Thunderstorm WATCH – Conditions are right for severe thunderstorms to develop; be prepared.
Thunderstorm WARNING – A thunderstorm with hail and damaging winds will strike in the vicinity.
The Outdoor Sirens are not used for these events because we want residents to know when they do hear the sirens, there is an active threat to our area, and they should take immediate action. Additionally, if residents hear the sirens activate for all events, they may dismiss them and continue with their normal activities when in fact they should be taking shelter.
SIREN LOCATION
The first siren is located on top of The Old City Hall building at 170 E Main Street Morehead KY 40351.
The second siren is located at the rear of the MMRC Farmers Fire Station at 4450 Ky Highway 801 N, Morehead KY 40351.
The third siren is located at 22 Partin Street Clearfield KY 40313 (the corner of Partin Street and McBrayer Road).