In Pilot Grove, emergency outdoor warning signals did not sound ahead of Wednesday morning’s tornado due to a power outage. Cooper County officials recommend residents rely on other emergency alert systems.
On Thursday evening, the Cooper County Emergency Management Agency said in a news release that a power outage that took place before the sirens were activated caused them not to ring. Larry Oerly, emergency management agency director for Cooper County, said the outdoor siren was tested Tuesday and did not have any issue.
“As this is an old siren that only functions with electricity and does not have battery backup, the power outage was the cause of the failure,” the news release said.
The siren was already scheduled to be replaced, according to county officials. The new siren will be delivered around May 1, but the date has not been determined yet, according to the release.
Oerly said outdoor sirens are "only meant for people outside," and should not be used as a primary means of receiving an alert. Cooper County uses Everbridge, a digital emergency mass notification system, to quickly disseminate information to residents.
In Boone County, officials took a different approach, sounding outdoor sirens throughout the county even though the tornado warning only included Centralia and Hallsville, according to KOMU 8 reporting.
Oerly said he recognized there are limits to digital reach. For example, homeless people and those without a cellphone would have a hard time receiving these alerts.
"In this world we may think people have a cellphone with them, but there's a whole older generation," Oerly said. "There are homeless people who may not have a phone."
Despite the drawbacks, Cooper County is not the only area prioritizing digital warning systems. Some communities have ditched warning sirens altogether.
Eric Aldrich, assistant teaching professor of atmospheric science at the University of Missouri, said automated systems are more reliable than dated weather systems like outdoor signals. Wireless Emergency Alerts, or WEA, is a free notification service that uses geolocation to alert people’s phones in the area of severe weather.
"I will say that the outdoor warning siren is something that has served its purpose in the past," Aldrich said. "It was really meant for air raid sirens back in the 40s, 50s and 60s when there was a threat of attack."
Like Oerly, Aldrich said if someone is visually impaired, the National Weather Service certified radio can still provide alerts with its computerized messaging system. A list of these radios is available on the National Weather service website.
