City Officials of Bryan and College Station...

6,831 Views | 40 Replies | Last: 7 yr ago by halibut sinclair
AgsWin2011
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AG
I think it's time for the B/CS area to get some tornado sirens. I know today may have been a freak thing, but we've had many close calls over the past couple years. Today happened to be the real deal. Not all people have smart phones or the alerts on their phone. The siren systems may be expensive, not really sure, but you can't put a price on the lives that it could save.

Just a thought.
Carnwellag2
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i got alerted on my cell phone
Broncos
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Welcome to 1997.
dubi
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AG
Code Maroon
montegobay
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Even my 76 year old MIL has a phone with weather alerts. Free and goes with you when you travel.
Rapier108
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In this case, sirens wouldn't have made a difference.

The tornado warning was issued after the tornado was tearing up stuff.
Counterpoint
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Is there a setting where it will alert you for severe weather but WON'T alert you for amber alerts? The app I used didn't distinguish between the two so I turned the alerts off. It sucked when the alarm would go off in the middle of the night and it was a freaking amber alert.
AgSportsFan2007
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AG
An iPhone will let you choose on/off for Amber Alert and Emergency Notifications separately. It's under notification settings.

Not sure about other phones...
Carnwellag2
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quote:
Is there a setting where it will alert you for severe weather but WON'T alert you for amber alerts? The app I used didn't distinguish between the two so I turned the alerts off. It sucked when the alarm would go off in the middle of the night and it was a freaking amber alert.

"a freaking amber alert" WOW

i guess you don't have kids or don't care about them if you do.
malibu9in1
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Sireeeens???
GoneGirl
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AG
Sirens are ineffectual as someone said, the timing issue, but also because modern homes/buildings are built to be much more soundproof - making it difficult for the sound to be heard inside. In addition, the siren can only sound one tone - which gives no indication of the danger, the path of the danger, or the safety actions that should be taken.

While sirens still can be part of a public alert system, their use is pretty out-dated.
OnlyANobody
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quote:
Is there a setting where it will alert you for severe weather but WON'T alert you for amber alerts? The app I used didn't distinguish between the two so I turned the alerts off. It sucked when the alarm would go off in the middle of the night and it was a freaking amber alert.

Missing kids are kind of an important thing.
BigBubba
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AG
quote:
Is there a setting where it will alert you for severe weather but WON'T alert you for amber alerts? The app I used didn't distinguish between the two so I turned the alerts off. It sucked when the alarm would go off in the middle of the night and it was a freaking amber alert.
IPhones have separate setting for amber alerts and emergency alerts.
taxpreparer
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AG

quote:
quote:
Quote:Is there a setting where it will alert you for severe weather but WON'T alert you for amber alerts? The app I used didn't distinguish between the two so I turned the alerts off. It sucked when the alarm would go off in the middle of the night and it was a freaking amber alert.
Missing kids are kind of an important thing.
Yes they are; however, if I am in my bed asleep at 3 am, I am not going to notice a white Dodge whatever drive by my house even if an Amber Alert does wake me up. I am sorry bit a severe weather alert at 3 am is more important to me than an Amber Alert. Now, an Amber Alert when I am awake is a different situation; no matter how slim the chance is that I might see the white Dodge whatever.
BigBubba
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AG

quote:
quote:
Missing kids are kind of an important thing.
Yes they are; however, if I am in my bed asleep at 3 am, I am not going to notice a white Dodge whatever drive by my house even if an Amber Alert does wake me up. I am sorry bit a severe weather alert at 3 am is more important to me than an Amber Alert. Now, an Amber Alert when I am awake is a different situation; no matter how slim the chance is that I might see the white Dodge whatever.
Same here. I wish they had an option to mute the amber alerts during certain hours.
BaitShack
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AG
I was down in Bellville a while back and heard the siren go off. I asked my buddy what the emergency was, and he said that it was a reminder that it's lunchtime. I thought it was pretty cool.
Average Joe
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AG
As important as the Amber alerts are, you can't stop them once they start on most phones and they are NEVER within 5 hours of me.
Roc96
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I was AT Bryan High, in a meeting, and the tornado was already touching down for a couple minutes when we got alerted. They also lifted the warning while a rotation was still seen within a block of the school. Warning sirens do help usually, but they wouldn't have done much today.
OnlyANobody
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Fair enough. I'll take the Amber Alerts. The point of them is the OFF CHANCE that you might recognize the child/vehicle/abductor.... It does work, even if it disrupts the precious sleep of people who don't give a rats ass.
Cromagnum
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I dont give two ****s about amber alerts. Im not looking for whomever you sent because im not going to read it. Im sure as hell not going to do anything when you wake me up in the middle of the night with one.
Counterpoint
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quote:
Fair enough. I'll take the Amber Alerts. The point of them is the OFF CHANCE that you might recognize the child/vehicle/abductor.... It does work, even if it disrupts the precious sleep of people who don't give a rats ass.
Precious sleep...seriously??! I will always pay attention to an amber alert during the day, I just don't want them to wake me up at night when I can't do anything about it AT ALL. This is the first time I've ever felt like I'm being trolled on Texags.
FlyRod
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We have a fairly high number of lower income folks in the BCS area who most likely don't have smart phones and weather apps. It's often such folks who are the victims of tornadoes, esp in rural areas, because they had no warning. Maybe sirens aren't the answer but maybe they'd help.
AggieAces06
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AG
It is my imagination, or aren't there sirens on campus?
montegobay
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How would you propose officials go about installing those rural sirens? It's just not feasible.

Those are lightning detectors.
duffelpud
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AG
City administrators need to make Bryan/College Station a tornado free zone and put signs up around town.
texasaggie04
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AG
quote:
Is there a setting where it will alert you for severe weather but WON'T alert you for amber alerts? The app I used didn't distinguish between the two so I turned the alerts off. It sucked when the alarm would go off in the middle of the night and it was a freaking amber alert.



If you have an android, go to settings - privacy and emergency - emergency alerts - settings (top right) - alert types.

Then you can turn on and off which ones you want.
nonag97
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Code Maroon
I got the code maroon txt message a good 15 minutes after the NWS message on my phone. Once the weather service issues their warning it's already too late, a tornado has already been spotted (same with sirens). To get alerted 15 minutes later is almost completely useless. Had this been a much stronger tornado with a wider path and folks were relying on code maroon we'd have much bigger problems.
nonag97
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It is my imagination, or aren't there sirens on campus?
There are lightning sirens at the golf course and, I believe, at the Penberthy fields as well.
duffelpud
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I'm not opposed to sirens provided they don't turn me into a toad.

Oogway
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No offense at any of these suggestions, but this tornado was not necessarily something easily spotted until it was already past. The rain was coming down in sheets and the tornado, itself, seemed to be rain-wrapped and most of the folks that were seeing it were from the south looking north at it, correct? While tornados in this area are not as common as further north up the 'alley,' taking precaution is always a good idea because any storm in the midwest has the potential to turn severe. For every 'turn around and don't drown,' my momma used to say, 'don't look at the sky and wonder why (as in why are things swirling around in the air?) --go hide.' Useful advice when our neighborhood got hit many years ago.

As far as sirens go, they can be okay, but having grown up with them they are sometimes hard to hear over storm noise etc. In rural areas, battery operated weather radios may be an alternative.



*Edit to add--I love that movie, Dufflepud....
KidDoc
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AG
quote:
We have a fairly high number of lower income folks in the BCS area who most likely don't have smart phones and weather apps. It's often such folks who are the victims of tornadoes, esp in rural areas, because they had no warning. Maybe sirens aren't the answer but maybe they'd help.
I work extensively with low income young families in this area and they ALL have cell phones (and tablets).

Now it may be different for older folks I don't work with them daily.
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rhoswen
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I teach in a title 1 school and all of my students have smart phones. LIke KidDoc, I can't speak to older folks.

For Android users go to settings... messages.... emergency alerts... then choose emergency alerts again to choose which alerts you want to receive.

A lot of weather apps will also give you the opportunity to choose which severe weather notifications you want to be notified of. For instance, I don't need a notification for "extreme heat advisory." I live in Texas. I know.
JSKolache
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quote:
The siren systems may be expensive, not really sure, but you can't put a price on the lives that it could save.
Was anyone killed or injured? I haven't seen any reports of that.
Carnwellag2
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I dont give two ****s about amber alerts. Im not looking for whomever you sent because im not going to read it. Im sure as hell not going to do anything when you wake me up in the middle of the night with one.
WOW
monkeyaround
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Ask the folks in Joplin how effective their sirens were in 2011. The problem is that people get used to hearing the sirens and eventually start ignoring them.Think about how many times we have a tornado warning and nothing happens.That's what happened in Joplin.

Tornado sirens are also very expensive. If I recall correctly, they were part of a bond election package in College Station a few years ago and it was handily defeated. People may want them, but they don't seem to want to pay for them.
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