Comments on: Decatur Hits Siren For Tornado Warning?

By: Aaron

Aaron — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 11:30:53 +0000

I heard it too. Inside. And have to vehemently agree that I wondered, “Well, now what?” And I literally waited for the phone to ring for the Code Red. And got none. To me, if it’s serious enough to sound alarms, it’s serious enough to ring the phones. And, there really wasn’t a lot of lightening during the storm…but the sky looked like death warmed over.

By: decatur mom

decatur mom — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 03:08:50 +0000

There is a tornado siren at Agnes Scott – not sure if that’s what you heard or not, as we were out of town. We are right off W. Howard near the high school, so we hear it whenever it goes off.

By: Thomas Wheatley

Thomas Wheatley — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 16:40:47 +0000

I was ready to relive my elementary-school days and find the thickest textbook and put in on my head in the hallway. Yep, growing up in Georgia does weird things to you.

By: decaturite

decaturite — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 16:37:33 +0000

Wow…some excellent points and info in response to this post. Thanks everyone.

Leoghann’s point about lightning accompanying tornadoes is a pretty good theory. The only other emergency listed on the Code Red site that might be accompanied by lightening is “floods”. So maybe the city is cautious about phoning people during a storm for fear of electrocution. However, I only have a cell phone so it wouldn’t matter if we received the call. Perhaps a separate cell list could be created for just such an emergency?

Thomas, from what I can deduce the siren came from Fire Station 1 on E. Trinity. I’m over in Ponce Heights and could hear it inside the house. Had I been running through the streets screaming “tornado!”, I’m sure it would have been even more obvious. (until I was rightfully subdued by angry neighbors)

Regardless, that storm system was freakin’ eerie huh? Meterologists were warning of funnel clouds and you looked outside and there was no wind at all. Dead calm and really dark. Odd. But I’m not from the South (unlike Unsquished’s wife) so this was all pretty new to me.

Admitting that, here’s my potentially stupid question: Isn’t it too darn hilly around here from a twister to set down?

By: Thomas Wheatley

Thomas Wheatley — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 16:18:46 +0000

What the commenter above stated about the sirens only alerting the folks outside is true. Only when I walked outside to let in a poor stray cat who was shaking in the rain did I hear the sirens. I’m such a gentle soul, I know.

Where are the sirens, anyway? I’m five minutes from Downtown and I heard them clearly.