Time 1:36 PM CST, Thur. Mar. 10, 2011, reporting from KDX near St. Louis, MO., USA.
Time 1:36 PM CST, Thur. Mar. 10, 2011, reporting from KDX near St. Louis, MO., USA.
At 1:30 PM all the warning sirens from all directions turned on and are still sounding. Since it is not the first of the month it is not the monthly test.
NOAA Weather has no severe weather in their forecast for the region, nor was there any posting about what I learned a minute later (next paragraph).
I tried two local stations known to have live staff, and one was giving sports updates, the other a string of commercials, but once the commercials were fully played, there was a test of EAS, not federally, but locally, naming this The Annual Tornado Drill.
That’s odd. No one mentioned such a thing even though I’m in media and usually know things the public hasn’t heard about.
Summary: For 6-minutes I didn’t know which way was up or weather I should go down (several puns intended).
No announcement will be made on KDX because the people in other areas might not have tornado drills. How are we supposed to know?
OPINION: We don’t stand a chance in an actual emergency, but we’ll spend last minutes running around asking if it is an emergency.
Emergency Alerts
This happens here also. The siren system here uses hardware which is capable of providing voice announcements but they have discontinued the voice messages because “they are hard to understand”. We were also told that the only time the sirens will sound is for testing or tornado warnings. Unfortunately, they sound when there are unconfirmed sightings 70 miles away.
This leads to the question communication of other emergencies such as toxic leaks from tanker truck or train accidents.
Last week at 4:30 AM the sirens here sounded for about 1/2 hour (3 min on 7 min off). There was a weather situation but I was not able to obtain information from local broadcasters. Even the WARN amateur radio weather net was not operating. The only source I found for information was Intellicast which had posted an alert from the NWS.
A few years ago I contacted our city admin. about using the TIS station for emergency bulletin and there was no interest. This might not be a legal use of the TIS but that is another discussion not relevant here.
You are correct, according to my observations, that we are not at all prepared to communicate information during an emergency. I don’t see a role for part 15 stations in this due to the very limited coverage of the typical station. If a microbroadcaster doesn’t have the information then there is nothing to broadcast.
Neil
Tornado Drill
-Good news though. Through special arrangement with the factory, Lowe’s and Home Depot will be offering the Tornado Drill from Ryobi for only $19.99. It even makes the sound of a passing freight train. Limited use is recommend because local siren warning systems could go off if used inappropriately. It uses “bits” you can’t use on the radio. Get yours today.
Disclaimer: Part 15 station operators are exempt from this offer. The Tornado Drill could cause holes in your coverage area. LOL ;P
ROFLMBO!!!!
Marshall…that belongs in the all time greats!!! Too TOO funny!!!!
Seriously tho, I have to respectfully disagree radio8z. Here is where Part 15 should take a role and if not able to broadcast information from these disconnected official channels, then is there reason why Part 15 should also become disconnected from the public just because the “big boys” are caught with their pants down running like chickens with their heads cut off??
At the very least here, Part 15 can help preserve calm. True we would not have official information, but we do not need big brother holding everyone’s hands when sirens and alarms start sounding.
If your stuck in your car across train tracks and there is a train coming, are you going to just sit there with the radio on desperately tuning to find some sort of message on what to do while staring at the approaching light like a cow reading a dictionary and deer in the headlights? Or are you going to act and get the heck out of that car and run like hell?
Point here is that when an emergency happens and sirens and alarms start sounding, yet no official word is coming down the pipe, that is going to cause panic in the general public. That alone could case far more harm than a tornado or flood themselves.
Using basic survival skills and good old common sense, Part 15 can at the very least provide a small level of calm by simply advising people to take steps to protect themselves, their neighbors and so on.
To just say “oh well since nothing is being said by the officials who zipped on out the back door cuz there is a huge black 1 mile wide funnel heading our way I think I will just sit here like nothing is going on because no one higher up is telling me how to wipe my windows” :/
Geez….I find it highly pathetic that even as brilliant and resourceful we can be to make our stations become something in our communities….we have to “monkey see..monkey do” because the official level has decided to split out of Dodge and leave us all out in the whirlwind?
Passing on common sense information does not require government to hold your hand and flush the toilet for you when its time to get up and….well we been through this discussion till the cows come home. Doesn’t seem like that did any good so it won’t here either.
I do not know about anyone else, but to me when chaos is about to bust loose in my neighborhood, I will be there to be that leader that at least keeps my neighbors from going apes**t and inflicting more harm than what is even necessary or wanted. Even if that means breaking out the “X” boxes and tossing out a 1Kw signal..I don’t care….apparently these official channels do not either.
Just my thoughts. Agree or disagree…its ok. I know what I will do when the excretion comes into contact with the rotating oscillator.
RFB
What’s Going On!
What’s going on! Sirens are blaring!
Just tune to Noise and Static Radio MICRO1700 and you’ll know that the voice over announcer is talking about a Tornado Drill.
“Use only in the basement in a crouched position.”
If your cow is currently using the dictionary don’t interrupt him, he’s on a roll.
What is that flying everywhere. It looks just like excretion.
Saved by low power.
Assuming I Survive
RFB,
You read more into what I wrote than I believe is there. Do as you wish with your station.
What would I do if a tornado came through? I can tell you what I did when one came through our community. It was near dinner time and my family and I were watching the TV evening news and there was no mention of severe weather during the brief time we were viewing. The power failed and it became very quiet outside as the storm was ebbing. I went outside to look around because it was so quiet after a very noisy storm and saw a tornado just north of me. My family and I took cover in the basement. As soon as the dust settled I was out and about looking to help as needed. There was no panic and people were calm and acting intelligently. Fortunately, there was not substantial damage to residences. Only a couple of wharehouses were hit.
If I had the means to warn my neighbors of approaching trouble I certainly would but in this example I had nothing to tell anybody until after the fact.
Neil
Before and After Effects
RFB,
You read more into what I wrote than I believe is there. Do as you wish with your station.
I did? In any case..I intend to! And if the sirens do not announce anything, my 1000 watt Peavey PA and stage speakers will fill in the gap! (former band memeber-guitar player) 🙂
Well I do have to agree there isn’t much one could do or say when the funnel is right on top of you or a block away. This is why it is good to occasionally look outside the window now and then during those seasons of known weather hazards.
This is what I find so ironic..is that on average, unless your outside already to see what is outside, most are inside watching tv or reading a book or something else not paying attention to what is outside during these dangerous weather seasons….they wait for the radio to blare that awful noise (if tuned in) or on the tv disrupting their soap box shows or tcm movie for a warning notice.
Well as exampled here in this thread….you cannot always count on big brother with the big pants and big toys in its pocket to pound the dirt and let you know “hey wake up somethin is a comin!”….they run and hide too…leaving the rest to ponder and go “huh?” while the stations are continuing programing from the satellite feed as usual. The weather station 4 cities over cannot see that funnel tearing up the east side of your town where the siren center is and issue a blip bleep…but you standing on the west side watching in horror can be that guy on camera standing in the midst of the blizzard holding a mic and to a light pole giving people the play by play.
Glad to know they are giving out the score of a game while the town is being ripped apart a few blocks away! Have something to talk about while sifting through the rubble after I guess.
There are valid points in there is not a whole lot Part 15 stations can do during such extremes. But right here..right now, such a scenario is described of no information given, yet sirens going off and sports scores on the PEP. There may not have been any real weather threat…but never…NEVER assume that all is well when big brother toots the horn and then says nothing.
Is it a test? Is it a real deal? Do you play the guessing game and waste valuable time?
Better to be safe than sorry.
RFB
Hey Carl, thanks for mentioning MICRO1700
But my station can’t even tell me when to
take the dogs out!
Bruce,
MICRO (Well, you already know.)
“Howlin At The Door”
But my station can’t even tell me when to
take the dogs out!
Maybe give them wireless lapel mics attached to their collars and pipe it in to the audio chain and monitor your station signal? :p
RFB
If your cow is currently
If your cow is currently using the dictionary don’t interrupt him, he’s on a roll.
That’s more than what most sheeple do…at least the cow is attempting to learn how to jump over the moon while the sheeple just stand there watching the deer staring at the oncoming train’s headlight singing “O-BAHH-MAHH…O-BAHH-MAHH….PUSH YOUR ONE BUTTON WONDER…WHAT TO DO O-BAHH WHAT TO DO….”
Film at 11.
RFB