Sunday, April 09, 2000
More and better sirens expand storms warnings
The Tornado: One Year Later
BY TOM O'NEILL
The Cincinnati Enquirer
You're safer today, but you're not completely safe. There's no such thing.
That's a testament to the force and unpredictability of an approaching tornado. It's also the reason Hamilton County and several local communities have spent $400,000 in the past year updating and expanding the county's emergency-warning siren system.
A year ago today, four sirens did not go off because they were broken. Another four were silenced by power outages. Now, all new sirens will have battery backups.
There are 11 additional sirens throughout the county, from Green Township in the west to Newtown in the east. Nine older models, some dating back to the 1950s, have been or are being replaced.
The cost: 20 sirens at about $20,000 each. The cost of the equipment was picked up by each receiving municipality. The cost of installation and maintenance is the responsibility of the county.
Symmes had no civil-defense sirens when the tornado hit. The money was set aside Sept. 28 by township trustees. Symmes spent $53,193 in tornado-related recovery.
“The (local communities) have done a very good job in their preparedness,” said Don Maccarone, director of Hamilton County's Emergency Management Agency (EMA). “There's always refinements, but I commend all of them for their work. Hopefully we raised awareness at the (state and federal) governmental level.”
Not enough.
On March 1, Hamilton County EMA received notice that its request for $400,000 in federal aid (the cost of siren-system improvements) was denied. The funds are allocated through the Ohio EMA, but it's federal money. Mr. Maccarone vows to resubmit an application next year.
In a procedure change that began March 15, each siren is now tested at noon on the first and third Wednesday of every month. Previously, they were tested only on the first Wednesday. The length of the practice warning also was increased, from three to five minutes.
The new sirens, like the old ones, aren't designed to be heard indoors, though some will be. Last year's tornado hit the Montgomery area at 5:17 a.m., when most people were sleeping.
Because of that, Mr. Maccarone recommends residents get a tone-alerting weather radio. The radios, similar to a police scanner, are tied into the National Weather Service bureau in Wilmington.
They monitor weather conditions, including river levels, in a 52-county radius that includes southwest Ohio, Northern Kentucky and southeast Indiana. They cost between $30 and $70.
Laurie Arshonsky got one as a present, a combination of her birthday and Mother's Day. Her home on Valleystream Drive in Montgomery, across the street from Sycamore High School, was destroyed in the tornado.
“It hasn't gotten off yet,” Mrs. Arshonsky said. “We were just talking about that.”
TORNADO: Powerful storm taught powerful lessons
A dog survives, a family feels blessed
Crisis response: 'I'm the person who saved my family'
Sense of humor turns overwhelmed to upbeat
Day of thanksgiving for those who helped
Disaster team helped, then quietly left
Lessons in the whirlwind
Memories of kindness ease memories of fear
More and better sirens expand storms warnings
Painting portrays sunflower rebirth
The graveyard of the trees
The roof went straight up, the house flew away
Tree a reminder of a boss who cared
Tornado of '99 archive
