After the storm: Put sirens to use next time

By Times staff | Thursday, July 24, 2008

The howling wind and thunder awoke many Quad-Citians to Monday’s storm. Curiously, sirens did not in most Quad-City communities. The sirens traditionally reserved only for tornado warnings remained silent since this storm included no signs of tornadoes.

We were glad to hear new Scott Emergency Communication Center director Brian Hitchcock affirm that these sirens can serve a broader purpose than warning of one specific weather threat. This same storm system had done significant damage from Des Moines eastward in the hours before it struck the Quad-Cities. A different policy might have allowed emergency department chiefs to authorize a siren alert in advance of this disaster.

Let’s not wait until the next one before coordinating a Quad-City wide policy for using these sirens. It makes little difference if the approaching 90 mph winds are caused by a tornado or a derecho.