Severe Weather Awareness Week: What to know about tornado sirens
(CBS DETROIT) - Tornado sirens are not sounded for the same reasons everywhere.
"Everybody's community needs are different. So in places where you have nuclear power plants, they may sound like the sirens for a nuclear power plant emergency. These are the same sirens for weather emergencies," said Rich Pollman, a Warning Coordination Meteorologist for the National Weather Service.
These sirens are run by each community.
"The sirens are purchased by the local tax dollars," Pollman said. "It's the local community, the citizens and their government authorities that put the money and time, and effort into their siren systems. That's why they have the ultimate decision."
READ: Michigan's statewide tornado drill scheduled for March 20
In Sanilac, Lapeer, Livingston, Oakland, and Monroe counties, the sirens are controlled by the entire county. Sirens in St. Clair, Macomb and Lenawee counties are controlled by specific areas. Washtenaw County is controlled by quadrants, and Wayne County is controlled by different municipalities.
READ: Severe Weather Awareness Week: Difference between a severe weather watch and a warning
So how quickly does the community get notified of severe weather by sirens?
"On our end at the National Weather Service, as soon as we feel that there's a need for a warning for this for the storm, it takes us about 30 to 60 seconds to generate the warning through a couple of miles of clicks and go through the communication systems to get that word out through all our dissemination vehicles, whether it's weather radio or the cell phones and through traditional media, and also then to the county and local government so that they can activate their sirens," Pollman said.
There is a common misconception about where you can hear the sirens.
"The siren has its role for outdoor warning. The weather radio works inside the home, where the siren is not designed to be heard inside the building," Pollman said.
While sirens are used outdoors, Pollman says there are multiple ways to get severe weather warnings.
"A siren can provide you that alert to try to find out what's going on. It doesn't always tell you all the information that you need, but at least will alert you that you need to find out what's going on and why that siren sounds," he said.