'Outdoor Warning System Only': Tulsa Area Emergency Management Agency Explains Use Of Storm Sirens

A lot of people heard storm sirens on Friday when severe weather moved through the area.

Even though many people heard the sirens inside their homes, they are designed to alert people who are outdoors.

Joe Kralicek is the executive director of the Tulsa Area Emergency Management Agency. He says each community has its own protocols for when to set off the storm alarms, and if you have questions, contact your local emergency management office.

When severe weather is headed toward Tulsa, Kralicek is hunkered down at the Tulsa Area Emergency Management headquarters making decisions about how to best keep people safe.  

Kralicek says his office is responsible for sounding 106 storm sirens in Tulsa County.

He follows guidance from the National Weather Service on when to activate the sirens.

"Once the National Weather Service informs us that there's a tornado either visible or radar indicated, and issue a tornado warning, we make the decision here to activate the sirens in response," he said.

He says it's critical people remember storm sirens are not designed to get your attention when you are inside your house or asleep.

"It's an outdoor warning system only, it's not designed to be heard in your house, it's not designed to wake you up in the middle of the night, if it does, fantastic, but that's not its intention, it's an outdoor warning system only," he said.

Kralicek says that's why it's important to have other ways to get alerts, like a weather radio or local news to make sure you can get enough warning about when to get somewhere. 

"When weather starts threatening, go indoors, everybody wants to focus on the tornado aspect of severe weather, but lightning is a major killer, we also want to remind people if there's flooded roadways to turn around don't drown," he said.

He says the sirens in Tulsa will also be activated for winds stronger than 80 miles an hour.