MANITOWOC, WI — Manitowoc County emergency officials are trying to clear up confusion after strong storms on Sunday tore down trees, brought down power lines and left thousands of customers without electricity. Questions followed when the outdoor warning sirens did not sound during the severe weather.
The county said the system worked as designed, with different rules for tornado warnings and severe thunderstorm warnings.
How the sirens work
According to Emergency Services Director Rhonda Green, the city of Manitowoc is the only municipality in the county that uses sirens for severe thunderstorm warnings. That decision is made by the fire chief or someone the chief designates.
County Joint Dispatch does not turn on sirens for severe thunderstorms on its own. Dispatch only activates sirens for tornado warnings from the National Weather Service, or when trained personnel report rotation or a tornado on the ground.
Why Sunday was different
Green said Sunday’s storm moved in suddenly, and dispatch was not able to reach the Manitowoc Fire Department in time to discuss sounding the city sirens. She said that if there had been more warning, dispatch would have contacted the department, relayed the NOAA warning and waited for the fire department to advise whether to activate the sirens.
The National Weather Service later surveyed damage in Two Rivers on Monday and concluded the destruction was caused by straight-line winds, not a tornado.
Warnings in the home
Green also reminded residents that tornado sirens usually cannot be heard inside homes unless someone lives close to one. Because of that, she encouraged people across Manitowoc County to have a NOAA weather radio programmed for their area.
Emergency Management sells weather radios for $30, and residents can contact the office if they want one.
Other ways to stay alert
County officials also pointed people to the FOX 11 Weather App, which can send severe weather alerts based on a user’s location. The app includes live interactive radar and full forecast details.
Officials said the goal is to make sure residents have more than one way to get warned when storms arrive quickly.
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