Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: Tyrannis on May 24, 2011, 01:25:19 AM
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hey guys, about a couple hrs ago i was dodging high winds& tornado sirens up here in ohio as the storm that launched the tornado at Missouri hit us. but there is one HUGE thing that bugs me about this bad weather.
simply put, the sirens are simply not loud enough to hear over the tv/music/other activities going on.
now, im right smack at the entrance to town, and i only hear the sirens very faintly. if there was really a tornado coming, half of us wouldnt even hear it.
Another thing: they need to have diff sounding sirens for the type of warning they are trying to give.
for us, they give 2 siren warnings at a time, first time the siren goes off its supposed to indicate ether a sever storm warning, or a tornado watch.the second time it goes off is to indicate a tornado warning.
but what if a tornado was to drop down right beside town before the first siren is sounded? so then when it does go off, people think its just a watch. or what if it does sound to signal a watch and people believe it to be an actual warning (like i did).
my solutions to these problems would be:
problem 1: have every house installed with a kind of mini alarm (similer to say, a smoke alarm) that when sent the signal, will warn the residents of watches/warnings. could be installed on the wall similier to how house alarms are, and give off the right sound in the house for what the weather is. therefore people dont have to worry about not hearing the town siren, because they have it in there houses.
2: simple solution, find diff sounding sirens for what they are warning/watching for. it would rly be appreciated.
i think if my solution for problem 1 had been implemented allready, half the lives lost to tornados would of been spared, for they would of known it was coming.
what do you guys think?
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1) Turn the TV DOWN.
2) Watch the NEWS.
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*If the weather looks like it's going to be tornadoes, start paying attention, stop waiting for someone to make that decision for you and come protect you.
*Sounds like an issue to take up with the local government, maybe a new siren is due in your part of town.
*Who's paying for these things? Are they wired, wireless? Who's going to want big brother putting a small announcement device in each of their homes?
*You can't say that this would cut lives lost in half, you've got no idea what it would do. A home siren isn't going to stop a trailer home from being thrown across the town. A home siren still isn't going to dissuade the guy who'd rather be watching some show than seeking shelter. A home siren isn't going to stop the guy who decided to run to the store real quick.
*The big picture; take some responsibility for yourself in these situations.
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*If the weather looks like it's going to be tornadoes, start paying attention, stop waiting for someone to make that decision for you and come protect you.
the weather isent allways that obvious. like yesterday. i looked out my window and it was completely sunny, 10 mins later a storm came out of no wheres, hail was coming down, and the sirens were blaring. its not a matter of paying attenchian its a matter of knowing how bad a storm its going to be, and when a storm is coming. which is the job of the meteorologists. so yes, in a way they do make the "decisions" for me, and "protect" me, as they do all of us.
*Sounds like an issue to take up with the local government, maybe a new siren is due in your part of town.
Ive tried, but for the most part im ignored, our town has never had a major tornado hit. (but alot have touched down in the neighboring town) and im only 18, so my word alone doesnt do much.
*Who's paying for these things? Are they wired, wireless? Who's going to want big brother putting a small announcement device in each of their homes?
are you too cheap at mind to spend a little extra $$$ to have a weather safety alarm installed?
*You can't say that this would cut lives lost in half, you've got no idea what it would do. A home siren isn't going to stop a trailer home from being thrown across the town. A home siren still isn't going to dissuade the guy who'd rather be watching some show than seeking shelter. A home siren isn't going to stop the guy who decided to run to the store real quick.
i didnt say it would, i said i THINK it would. meaning i was stating it as a theory, and not as fact. difference. should this idea be thrown out the window because some A hole might ignore it? no. should it be thrown out because some people might ignore it too? no. if that was the case we might as well throw town sirens out too, because people ignore them aswell. and the guy who decided to run to the store will have his car radio, or will be able to hear the actual town sirens. but it would atleast give people a better chance to hear the warning, and react before its too late. especially if a storm hits late at night. i had to stay up all night last night because the siren went off once, and the wind was howling, and i knew if i went to sleep i wouldnt hear the siren again if it sounded.
*The big picture; take some responsibility for yourself in these situations.
i live in the type of house a f1 tornado could blow away with ease. the only shelter i have in my house is a tiny flimsy bathroom. in a town who's siren is too low to hear half the time, with people who ignore me when i try to point this out. i am taking responsibility, by coming up with ideas to try to make the situation better, my ideas might not be perfect, but atleast im thinking some up. instead of just waiting around thinking the worst will never happen, then it does.
i really hate the snobbery on these boards sometimes.
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A little knowledge goes a long way. If you are going to rely on someone else to guarantee your safety you will be very disappointed. Take the time you have spent on this BBS and use it to learn a little bit about weather signs and you will be much better off. A lot of people on here, myself included, can probably look up and around and have a pretty good idea whats going on weather wise. Do what the pioneers did, cover your own lazy butt.
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A little knowledge goes a long way. If you are going to rely on someone else to guarantee your safety you will be very disappointed. Take the time you have spent on this BBS and use it to learn a little bit about weather signs and you will be much better off. A lot of people on here, myself included, can probably look up and around and have a pretty good idea whats going on weather wise. Do what the pioneers did, cover your own lazy butt.
:aok
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The Weather Channel has a system where they can call you if severe weather is heading your way.
http://www.weather.com/services/twcalerts.html
If i lived in a tornado prone area,you can bet that id have this myself. (Tornado prone is a bit ambigious since last night we had a tornado warning about 10miles north of me (Im near Allentown PA), and one hit Philadelphia last week :rolleyes:) Although we usually dont get the monsters that are seen out in the MW and South.
They also make weather alert radios i believe.
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They have "Mini" alarms for your house, Its called a NOAA Weather Radio, Runs about $30 and is guarnteed to wake you up with its alarms or get your attention!
(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_yG2HbYQQYOw/TEcFE69-UTI/AAAAAAAAKMM/a9t-FRYThlY/s400/!0_2010_NWS-WeatherRadio.jpg)
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Get a weather radio and program your county codes into it. If it looks bad on the TV, watch the local news for weather info.
For the sirens, I never heard about them being set off for severe weather. Only weather events that should trigger them is tornadic, not a severe thunderstorm warning. That nulls out their effectiveness when every severe thunderstorm sets them off and people start to ignore them.
The sirens have two tones though....alert and attack.
Alert is for weather events....long high and short low.
Attack for civil defence and wartime....fast high and low
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*If the weather looks like it's going to be tornadoes, start paying attention, stop waiting for someone to make that decision for you and come protect you.
*Sounds like an issue to take up with the local government, maybe a new siren is due in your part of town.
*Who's paying for these things? Are they wired, wireless? Who's going to want big brother putting a small announcement device in each of their homes?
*You can't say that this would cut lives lost in half, you've got no idea what it would do. A home siren isn't going to stop a trailer home from being thrown across the town. A home siren still isn't going to dissuade the guy who'd rather be watching some show than seeking shelter. A home siren isn't going to stop the guy who decided to run to the store real quick.
*The big picture; take some responsibility for yourself in these situations.
Yep. If you're relying on Big Brother to assist you, you're wrong. Fend for yourself and watch the weather reports, or even watch the sky Tyrannis.
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Get a weather radio and program your county codes into it. If it looks bad on the TV, watch the local news for weather info.
For the sirens, I never heard about them being set off for severe weather. Only weather events that should trigger them is tornadic, not a severe thunderstorm warning. That nulls out their effectiveness when every severe thunderstorm sets them off and people start to ignore them.
The sirens have two tones though....alert and attack.
Alert is for weather events....long high and short low.
Attack for civil defence and wartime....fast high and low
at one of the campuses in South Ga, there is a siren for severe weather and another one for a tornado
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Outdoor tornado sirens are meant to alert people who are outdoors, and away from radios, TVs, and the internet. They are not meant to heard by people in homes or commercial buildings.
In my county the sirens only go off for tornado warnings. They do not go off for severe weather warnings.
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(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5memhqq9APo/TEV68D2R5XI/AAAAAAAABBc/odj1bh3kIbs/s1600/Weather_rock.jpg)
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simply put, the sirens are simply not loud enough to hear over the tv/music/other activities going on.
And this is how I know you are just increasing your post count...
Have you ever been watching TV or listening to the radio and here that nice little "This is a test of the national emergency broadcast system.."
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i really hate the snobbery on these boards sometimes.
No, you hate it when someone disagrees with you.
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the weather isent allways that obvious. like yesterday. i looked out my window and it was completely sunny, 10 mins later a storm came out of no wheres, hail was coming down, and the sirens were blaring. its not a matter of paying attenchian its a matter of knowing how bad a storm its going to be, and when a storm is coming. which is the job of the meteorologists. so yes, in a way they do make the "decisions" for me, and "protect" me, as they do all of us.
Ive tried, but for the most part im ignored, our town has never had a major tornado hit. (but alot have touched down in the neighboring town) and im only 18, so my word alone doesnt do much.
You ignore spell-check, what makes you think we believe that you will heed a weather warning?
Hail you say? Usually a sign of severe weather.
Meteorologists? Really? Putting your life in their hands? You are either really lazy or really stupid.
are you too cheap at mind to spend a little extra $$$ to have a weather safety alarm installed?
Are you to cheap to buy a book and read it? http://www.mypilotstore.com/mypilotstore/secp/109 (http://www.mypilotstore.com/mypilotstore/secp/109)
i didnt say it would, i said i THINK it would. meaning i was stating it as a theory, and not as fact. difference. should this idea be thrown out the window because some A hole might ignore it? no. should it be thrown out because some people might ignore it too? no. if that was the case we might as well throw town sirens out too, because people ignore them aswell. and the guy who decided to run to the store will have his car radio, or will be able to hear the actual town sirens. but it would atleast give people a better chance to hear the warning, and react before its too late. especially if a storm hits late at night. i had to stay up all night last night because the siren went off once, and the wind was howling, and i knew if i went to sleep i wouldnt hear the siren again if it sounded.
Buy a shovel, dig a storm cellar. Move, relocate or otherwise change location in some fashion.
i live in the type of house a f1 tornado could blow away with ease. the only shelter i have in my house is a tiny flimsy bathroom. in a town who's siren is too low to hear half the time, with people who ignore me when i try to point this out. i am taking responsibility, by coming up with ideas to try to make the situation better, my ideas might not be perfect, but atleast im thinking some up. instead of just waiting around thinking the worst will never happen, then it does.
Always prepare for the worst. If it doesn't happen, that is great. Fortune favors the prepared.
i really hate the snobbery on these boards sometimes.
Then why the continued visits, here?
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There is a siren not far from my house, about 1/8th of a mile or so. When they test it every month on the first Tuesday, it is so loud that it is actually painful to be outside. Our cable TV systen is all linked in to the emergency alert system also, so when it goes off, the TV programming is interupted as well.
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Put up or shut up.
:aok
Honestly, if clouds look threatening, they probably are. Phone a friend, get a weather app on your phone or find some way to keep in contact with anyone who can give you info on weather conditions. It is all very much common sense. If you see a swirling cloud and then listen for a siren to warn you of said swirling cloud... Darwin has news for you.
You can put sirens up everywhere and tell people to GTFD, but as the old adage goes "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink."
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1) Turn the TV DOWN.
2) Watch the NEWS.
Legendary advice.
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I'm not sure what part of Ohio your in Tyrannis, but I know we don't have any sirens here in Cleveland.
As to the storm that came through here yesterday, I'm with ya on the "holy crap, wtf is this" factor. I was outside enjoying the sun, working in the yard. It started to sprinkle so I put away a few things, closed the car windows, looked at the sky and it was light grey, nothing to worry about.
I went to the basement and started in a load of laundry, came upstairs to find the trees almost horizontal and unable to see the street because of how much rain and hail was coming down.
I had checked the sky 3 min ago and saw nothing that would have warned me of this. I turned on the tv to see the reports. It was a rather small but very fast moving and brutal storm that produced multiple "wall" clouds, but fortunately, no actual tornadoes, although the warnings were active.
I found out after the storm passed that no radio warnings were sent till after the storm had actually passed us and was pounding the counties to the east.
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1) Turn the TV DOWN.
2) Watch the NEWS.
That works perfectly when you are sleeping. The guy came up with a great idea that would actually work and maybe save some lives and a bunch of BBS idiots completely ignore the facts in his post and explain to him how he is doing something wrong :lol
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Hey guys, about a couple of hours ago I was dodging high winds and tornado sirens up here in Ohio as the storm that launched the tornado in Missouri hit us, but there is one HUGE thing that bugs me about this bad weather.
Yes it was a pretty nasty storm.
Simply put, the sirens are simply not loud enough to hear over the tv/music/other activities going on.
Now, I'm right smack at the entrance to town, and I only hear the sirens very faintly. If there really was a tornado coming, half of us wouldn't even hear it.
Many people have problems with hearing the sirens.
Another thing: they need to have different sounding sirens for the type of warning they are trying to give.
For us, they give 2 siren warnings at a time. First time the siren goes off it's supposed to indicate ether a severe storm warning, or a tornado watch. The second time it goes off is to indicate a tornado warning.
The problem is that is the more complicated they make it, the less people will pay attention. Here in St. Louis we don't consider the siren to mean "Take cover immediately." We consider it to mean "Turn the TV ON AND SEE WHAT IS GOING ON!" Also the more warnings they sound the siren for means the more often they sound the siren. The more often they sound the siren, the less serious people will take it.
What if a tornado were to drop down right beside town before the first siren is sounded? So then when it does go off, people think it's just a watch. Or what if it does sound to signal a watch and people believe it to be an actual warning (like i did)?
When that happens, there really isn't enough time to sound a warning anyway. Hopefully people will have their TV's or weather radios on by then and be able to take the appropriate actions. The alarms here NEVER go off during just a watch. They only sound when a warning is issued.
My solutions to these problems would be:
Problem 1: have every house installed with a kind of mini alarm (similar to say, a smoke alarm) that when sent the signal, will warn the residents of watches/warnings. It could be installed on the wall similiar to how house alarms are, and give off the right sound in the house for what the weather is. Therefore people don't have to worry about not hearing the town siren because they have it in there houses.
I will NEVER encourage a situation where a device like that is REQUIRED to be installed. I'm not saying it's a bad idea, I'm just saying it shouldn't be required. Also those devices already exist as already discussed here. If you want one then go buy one. It's as simple as that. I can't go into details about why it being required by law is a bad idea without breaking the rules of this message board, but it involves a certain "Big Brother" who needs to mind his own business.
2: Simple solution, find different sounding sirens for what they are warning/watching for. it would really be appreciated.
As stated before, the more complicated the system is made, the less people will pay attention to it. Us in the midwest already know when bad weather is brewing and we already know to turn on the TV/Radios in those cases. They've gotten really good at predicting general areas where Tornadoes are likely. If you're in one of those areas and you don't take the proper precautions, then there really is no one to blame but yourself. As far as tornadoes just forming out of nowhere and striking... well in those cases there's usually not even enough time to sound an alarm.
I think if my solution for problem 1 had been implemented already, half the lives lost to tornadoes would have been spared, for they would have known it was coming.
Actually I disagree. I believe that 99% of the people there already had their TVs and radios turned on and thus could not have been helped further. Instead of blaming the loss of lives on a "broken" system I would rather credit the incredible system we have for the death count not being much, MUCH higher. I know it may sound like a lot of lives were lost, but if you take into consideration the population of the areas that were hit and the amount of damage that was created... well the death toll seems very low in comparison. What really shocked me is that nobody died in the one that hit the airport (and nearby neighborhoods) here in St. Louis!
What do you guys think?
By the way I fixed some of your grammatical and spelling errors. Do yourself a big favor and lose the "txt" speech and learn how to spell. Wow reading "RLY" on cat or bird pictures is really cute, it looks very horrible in normal conversation. It's hard to take people serious sometimes when what they say is so poorly prepared.
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That works perfectly when you are sleeping.
Unless they create a device that will flip my bed over when the tornado sirens go off, I would likely sleep right through the sirens issued around me. Heck I sleep right through the alarm clock most of the time as well!
The OP does have a decent idea about having a smoke alarm type of device to go off during weather warnings, but the simple truth is that these things already exist. The only thing the OP brings different to the table is making this device required. I could go into details as to why this is a bad idea but it would get my posts deleted and this thread locked so there is no point in that.
Instead of trying so hard to save other people's lives, sometimes people just need to accept that people are responsible for their own lives. We do monthly tests of our Tornado alarms here. The people who are barely within earshot distance of these alarms have had plenty of time to figure that out and to take the appropriate precautions. Simply put, forcing the installation of an alarm like that into every house is incredibly ridiculous. I already know when bad weather is brewing.. I don't need an ear-shattering alarm to tell me that. Heck I don't even have batteries in one of my smoke alarms. I got tired of it going off every time I took a shower.
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Unless they create a device that will flip my bed over when the tornado sirens go off, I would likely sleep right through the sirens issued around me.
You are apparently not married or have any kids, yet :rofl
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My biggest complaint with the current sirens in Arkansas is that the state is changing over to digital, I guess, sirens. The problem is that aren't nearly as loud. At the house were I lived about 3 years ago you could hear them decently well. After pulaski county changed it over you can barely hear it and then only if the wind is blowing in a favorable direction. Of course this is a moot point as I have a weather radio that I bought a couple years ago.
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1) Turn the TV DOWN.
2) Watch the NEWS.
Radio works too.
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(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_yG2HbYQQYOw/TEcFE69-UTI/AAAAAAAAKMM/a9t-FRYThlY/s400/!0_2010_NWS-WeatherRadio.jpg)
Outbreak covered the warning part.
http://www.spc.noaa.gov/products/outlook/day1otlk.html
Link to the Storm Prediction Center
Now you have the tools you need.
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Yep. If you're relying on Big Brother to assist you, you're wrong. Fend for yourself and watch the weather reports, or even watch the sky Tyrannis.
Bullseye, never count on big brother you'll only be let down
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I'm not sure what part of Ohio your in Tyrannis, but I know we don't have any sirens here in Cleveland.
As to the storm that came through here yesterday, I'm with ya on the "holy crap, wtf is this" factor. I was outside enjoying the sun, working in the yard. It started to sprinkle so I put away a few things, closed the car windows, looked at the sky and it was light grey, nothing to worry about.
I went to the basement and started in a load of laundry, came upstairs to find the trees almost horizontal and unable to see the street because of how much rain and hail was coming down.
I had checked the sky 3 min ago and saw nothing that would have warned me of this. I turned on the tv to see the reports. It was a rather small but very fast moving and brutal storm that produced multiple "wall" clouds, but fortunately, no actual tornadoes, although the warnings were active.
I found out after the storm passed that no radio warnings were sent till after the storm had actually passed us and was pounding the counties to the east.
im in the lower half, towards Kentucky. Clermont County.
and yes, yesterday i had looked out the window, and it was amazingly sunny. i was actually playing aceshigh. and i couldn't hear the sirens over the sounds of my planes engine. it was only after i landed that i heard them wailing.
at first i thought they were testing it. (which they sometimes do during the beginning of the week) because i looked out the window next to my computer desk, and it was still amazingly sunny.
so i got up, went into the backyard, and that was when i saw the giant storm cloud coming. before i could do anything tho the wind just hit us hard. my house is next to a sunocos. and one of there plastic garbage cans went flying by my head. i actually had to sorta duck to avoid it (its now stuck ontop of the vacant house next door's roof) and to make things worse, sunoco kept there garbage cans up, so half there trash is now blown into the tree in my backyard.
over at sunoco tho, some people were yelling "twister!" and running inside as it started to hail. now like i said, my house is pretty much nothing but plywood, and has 0% weather protection, so i freaked out a little.
i ran inside, grabbed my hoodie, and sprinted it to a friends a few houses down who had a basement.
in the end, we didn't have a tornado, but it sure looked like it. the wind was so strong it ripped the side panels off a couple houses, there was downed trees every wheres (including on my road) and one house even had a hole in its roof.
there was no predicting that storm was coming from simply looking up at the sky.mother nature can change very quickly.
but i dont think i made my idea clear enough. i was thinking of something similer to a smoke alarm, that would sound to warn the inhabitants. that would be set off when sent to do so similier to how home security units do with there devices.
or maybe even make this an option package with home security? pay a little $$$ extra and the home security unit will install a sort of "home weather system" in your house with a mini speaker in each room. and if there is a major storm and/or tornado watch in your area, it will sound off when they send it the signal. maybe even give it customizable options. like weather you want it to sound for only tornado watches/warnings, for severe weather, or any other type of weather.
its not a perfect plan, but its just my theory. no need to tear it apart with your obnoxious "get educated" "fend for yourself" "learn to predict the weather" :uhoh
p.s sorry for the spelling mistakes, my keyboards keys dont always respond when pushed. and i didn't think we had as bad of grammar freaks on here.
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Unless they create a device that will flip my bed over when the tornado sirens go off, I would likely sleep right through the sirens issued around me. Heck I sleep right through the alarm clock most of the time as well!
The OP does have a decent idea about having a smoke alarm type of device to go off during weather warnings, but the simple truth is that these things already exist. The only thing the OP brings different to the table is making this device required. I could go into details as to why this is a bad idea but it would get my posts deleted and this thread locked so there is no point in that.
Instead of trying so hard to save other people's lives, sometimes people just need to accept that people are responsible for their own lives. We do monthly tests of our Tornado alarms here. The people who are barely within earshot distance of these alarms have had plenty of time to figure that out and to take the appropriate precautions. Simply put, forcing the installation of an alarm like that into every house is incredibly ridiculous. I already know when bad weather is brewing.. I don't need an ear-shattering alarm to tell me that. Heck I don't even have batteries in one of my smoke alarms. I got tired of it going off every time I took a shower.
And after your smoke alarm statement, you want us to take anything you say on the subject seriously? :lol Oh, wait, your grammar was good so you must have a point :lol
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Whenever the weather gets extreme here I usually sit on my roof with a lawn chair. Sure its not safe but if somethings coming you'll sure as heck see it.(Note I do know I have a good chance of falling off or getting hit by lightning, so save your breathe :D )
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Whenever the weather gets extreme here I usually sit on my roof with a lawn chair. Sure its not safe but if somethings coming you'll sure as heck see it.(Note I do know I have a good chance of falling off or getting hit by lightning, so save your breathe :D )
Do your neighbors gather and begin chanting "Darwin, Darwin, Darwin?"
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there was no predicting that storm was coming from simply looking up at the sky.mother nature can change very quickly.
but i dont think i made my idea clear enough. i was thinking of something similer to a smoke alarm, that would sound to warn the inhabitants. that would be set off when sent to do so similier to how home security units do with there devices.
or maybe even make this an option package with home security? pay a little $$$ extra and the home security unit will install a sort of "home weather system" in your house with a mini speaker in each room. and if there is a major storm and/or tornado watch in your area, it will sound off when they send it the signal. maybe even give it customizable options. like weather you want it to sound for only tornado watches/warnings, for severe weather, or any other type of weather.
its not a perfect plan, but its just my theory. no need to tear it apart with your obnoxious "get educated" "fend for yourself" "learn to predict the weather" :uhoh
Do you even read what the hell people are typing?
1. There are warning systems for your house- Weather radio
2. There was "predicting that storm". Just becaue you didn't know about it does not mean it was some freak event
3. If you don't want to educate yourself on it or have input from people then don't post about it. If you find it obnoxious that people have given you suggestions then you are just subject to end up a statistic. Go take the batteries out of the smoke alarm like that other guy and bury your head in the computer. And by no means do a google search for weather forecasts or local radars. I'd hate for you to be clued in.
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Do your neighbors gather and begin chanting "Darwin, Darwin, Darwin?"
Sorry But I don't understand the joke...
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Sorry But I don't understand the joke...
Then you, also, are doomed to be a statistic.
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Then you, also, are doomed to be a statistic.
A statistic for what?
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Body count.
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A statistic for what?
Bwah ha ha! A statistic for more rules and regulations. :rofl
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I'm still confused :uhoh
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:rofl :lol
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i guess they didnt teach them about darwin in school, go figure lol
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I'm still confused :uhoh
Just try it for real and you will see the light
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i guess they didnt teach them about darwin in school, go figure lol
Charles Darwin? Yeah but I still don't get the joke?
Just try it for real and you will see the light
Well considering we havn't had a single storm this year in my area, its been kind of boring, but I'm hoping we get a few.
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Charles Darwin? Yeah but I still don't get the joke?
http://www.darwinawards.com/
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Go take the batteries out of the smoke alarm like that other guy and bury your head in the computer.
HAHA my whole point in that is that people would just disconnect the alarms because they would get tired of hearing them go off all of the time anyway. You can't disconnect a siren going off a couple of miles away though!
The simple truth is that I have the right to remove the batteries from my smoke alarm as I see fit. If my house burns down and I die as a result then it is due to my own stupidity. Would you propose legislation requiring tamper-proof smoke alarms be installed so that I can't do that? This is really not any different.
Weather radios and alarms already exist so the people who want them and who would feel more safe having them can already go out and buy them. Those who do not feel the need don't have to.
For the record:
1> I have several other smoke alarms in the house but I am not going to deal with an ear shattering chirping every time I get out of the shower. Whether that one alarm makes me safer or not is irrelevant. One could lock himself in a bomb shelter underground and be extremely "safe" but then what about the quality of life? Since an ear-shattering noise makes me unhappy, I choose happiness over the additional protection that one smoke detector may provide.
2> I really get irked off about seeing "TXT SPK" used all of the time. Personally I feel that it is a butchering of the English language. Casually joking about spelling errors and what not is one thing but when people actually write or type out "RLY, SRSLY, U, URS" and the like it really gets under my nerves and becomes really hard to take that person seriously.
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I not sure what response you are wantng out of me but I could not care less what you do in your house. Be as unsafe as you please, it's just job security for me. Just no whining if things go bad :aok
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I know when an environmental gets unsafe, i'll stay until it endangers my life, then i'll scoot a boot down and into my house.
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I know when an environmental gets unsafe, i'll stay until it endangers my life, then i'll scoot a boot down and into my house.
How dangerous is dangerous?
You do understand that a lightning strike can happen while a storm is still miles away on the horizon?
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I really get irked off about seeing "TXT SPK" used all of the time. Personally I feel that it is a butchering of the English language. Casually joking about spelling errors and what not is one thing but when people actually write or type out "RLY, SRSLY, U, URS" and the like it really gets under my nerves and becomes really hard to take that person seriously.
I have two daughters, one is a teenager. She has learned that if she wants a response from me, she will text in complete sentences and with proper punctuation. That is my little salvo in the war against the butchering of written communication.
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I have two daughters, one is a teenager. She has learned that if she wants a response from me, she will text in complete sentences and with proper punctuation. That is my little salvo in the war against the butchering of written communication.
Especially with the advent of full keyboards.
It was slightly understandable when you had to hit the 5 key 3 times for the letter "L", etc.
Not anymore. There is no excuse.
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How dangerous is dangerous?
You do understand that a lightning strike can happen while a storm is still miles away on the horizon?
I know how lightning works yes, for added safety in general (not just for me) I suggested to my dad that he install a Lightning rod on our roof. A few months ago my friends house got hit by lightning and burned down. I'm not expecting you to believe me so let me find the news article on it if its still up.
Edit: I found it on 11alive. My friend has the same name as his dad, he's the III his dad is Eddie Corne I. http://www.11alive.com/rss/article/187772/3/Family-of-9-survives-fire-sparked-by-lightning- (http://www.11alive.com/rss/article/187772/3/Family-of-9-survives-fire-sparked-by-lightning-) I know what this can do, I know the risks.
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For the sake of the future of humanity, please keep your little swimmers in their own swimming pool.
The gene pool has been pissed in enough, so as it is. :aok
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To aid the OP's concern... Look up your local Amateur Radio Emergency Services.
Get involved and you will find out how to watch weather, spot storms, and judge severity.
You may even find local spotter frequencies and listen to severe weather nets.
Well worth the effort and peace of mind.
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Edit: I found it on 11alive. My friend has the same name as his dad, he's the III his dad is Eddie Corne I.
Question:
How is your friend the III and your dad the I?
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Question:
How is your friend the III and your dad the I?
Key the Banjo Music :D
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Key the Banjo Music :D
http://youtu.be/Uzae_SqbmDE (http://youtu.be/Uzae_SqbmDE)
Two kids named Eddie?
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http://youtu.be/Uzae_SqbmDE (http://youtu.be/Uzae_SqbmDE)
Two kids named Eddie?
:rofl spot on
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http://youtu.be/Uzae_SqbmDE (http://youtu.be/Uzae_SqbmDE)
Two kids named Eddie?
:joystick:
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http://youtu.be/Uzae_SqbmDE (http://youtu.be/Uzae_SqbmDE)
Two kids named Eddie?
This is my brother Eddie, and my other brother Eddie...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TN6UAzYY8qg&feature=related
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I'm going to reiterate that the OP shouldn't blame his city/county for not hearing the sirens. If you put on headphones or music or a game, you can't blame the emergency management for how loud their sirens are. If you are prone to do things that may cancel out the sound of a siren, you should definitely invest in a home system to warn yourself.
I can almost guarantee your county has a regular schedule of when it tests it's sirens. Mine is first Monday of the month at noon during "off-season" and 1st and 3rd Monday of the month during inclement weather season. If those go off, and it's not one of those days, I'm not going to assume they're testing it. If the weather looks bad at that time, they'll cancel the test to not confuse anyone. My county actually has a Facebook page and I can get information updated from there faster than any other source.
On a side note, my local university here has an old steam whistle that signals class changes. Something happened (last I heard they think lightning struck it) and instead of a 3-5 second burst, the thing wouldn't shut off. Many people, students and residents (you can heard the whistle throughout most parts of town) thought it was the sirens and took cover. I'm sure it wasn't funny to them, but having not experienced it, I got a bit of a chuckle out of it.
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As stated earlier get youself a NOAA weather radio and program in your county and make sure you keep it backed up with fresh batteries (at least every 6 months.)
We have NO weather sirens in this county. In a neighboring county it was so expensive to update their siren system that they bought a NOAA weather alert radio for every county resident who asked for one (one per household).
If you are a ham radio operator like myself your VHF rig will most likely have the NOAA 160-mHz band and you can simply program in all the local and area NOAA stations (I can pick up 6 from my location) and put them into the memory and then simply pull it up when bad weather arrives--however this should not be your primary alert...a NOAA weather radio should be.
Being prepared for bad weather and being alerted about it are YOUR own personal responsability!
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Conclusion:
If you are asleep, don;t reside under a siren, can't hear very well (getting old is your fault, not ours) or did not prepare to the posters standards, you deserve to die. Having an alarm at home like a smoke detector that could wake you up is out of the question. It would damage the world in so many ways that the Rapture would be just another Saturday :lol
Funny thing is, someone will become a millionaire by taking this idea and implementing it while you guys tell him how stupid he is :lol
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I'm just curious why its everyone elses responsibility to make sure your safe, when there are many proactive things you could be doing to protect yourself.
You have identified the problem...........you have been given solutions to the problem............Beyond these two things the balls in your court.
There have been leaps and bounds in the science of forecasting Tornados, but nothings perfect. Arm yourself with as much as you can if its a concern of yours. But its "your concern" ie your responsibility.
Oh and FYI Lightning rods dont mean much......their better than nothing, but i see houses with lightning rods burn to the ground on a routine basis, as a direct result of lightning strikes. (I'm a large loss property adjuster ($250k to $1mill.) for an insurance co by profession) I see dozens of these a year.
Sorry to hear of your friends loss.
You wrote:
problem 1: have every house installed with a kind of mini alarm (similer to say, a smoke alarm) that when sent the signal, will warn the residents of watches/warnings. could be installed on the wall similier to how house alarms are, and give off the right sound in the house for what the weather is. therefore people dont have to worry about not hearing the town siren, because they have it in there houses.
This isnt a half bad idea btw, expecially in tornado prone areas. Hard wired with a battery backup, problem is i think the weather radio solves the issue.
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I'm pulling a 53 foot trailer easy to roll over by 40 mph wind through weather all time. Years ago i used to drive like blind through weather, but over the past 3-4 years the internet access is getting better and better; i can stay connected while driving 70mph along most interstate highways and keep my eyes on NOAA;
For example: Look at doppler bellow, if i would be now around Oklahoma City, i would park and run like a rabbit:)
http://radar.weather.gov/radar.php?rid=tlx
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Well sir I would give you some great advice but one thing is for sure.....
1. GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF YOUR ASS!!!!
2. TAKE YOUR SAFETY AND SECURITY IN YOUR OWN HANDS. THE GOVERNMANT IS NOT GOING TO SAVE EVERYONE. NOR IS IT DESIGNED TO.
3. DIG A HOLE AND BURY YOURSELF IN IT SO YOU MIGHT BE SAFE AND SOUND SO NO ONE CAN HURT YOU!
4. Sorry for the shouting......Your TV was too loud.
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Conclusion:
If you are asleep, don;t reside under a siren, can't hear very well (getting old is your fault, not ours) or did not prepare to the posters standards, you deserve to die. Having an alarm at home like a smoke detector that could wake you up is out of the question. It would damage the world in so many ways that the Rapture would be just another Saturday :lol
Funny thing is, someone will become a millionaire by taking this idea and implementing it while you guys tell him how stupid he is :lol
You're correct! You getting old and not being able to hear the siren *IS* your fault and not mine. Granted I don't think that you deserve to die, but you have to give people more credit. People suffering from hearing loss already know they they are suffering from hearing loss and will (hopefully) already be taking the necessary actions as a result. If not, then I have a real hard time feeling sorry for them.
Having an alarm like a smoke detector is not the problem.. the problem is with being FORCED to have an alarm like a smoke detector.
We're not saying the guy is stupid... we're just saying that he's not proposing anything that doesn't already exist. The only difference is that what he proposes would be required, whereas what already exists is optional. Since monthly (and sometimes bi-weekly) tests are already run on the alarms, then those of us in tornado-prone areas should already know how close the the siren we are and how well we can hear it. If we don't, then it IS OUR FAULT for not taking the necessary precautions to compensate for a siren that is barely audible.
Also the sirens are hardly reliable. Yes they will warn us if a tornado warning is present in our general area, but it tells us nothing of any tornadoes that are actually on the ground. Because of this, only a small fraction of people will take shelter in a basement or closet just because the sirens go off. No they will instead turn on the TV or weather Radio to determine the extent of danger and then take shelter if necessary. Personally, I almost always have the TV on long before I hear the the sirens.
Here's the way I see it... my house was built in the early 70's. My last house was built in the 30's. I know other houses in the area well over 100 years old. It's hard to imagine that these houses have survived ALL THOSE YEARS without getting destroyed by a tornado! WOW! How rare is that? Seriously even in the worst area of the country chances of actually getting hit by a tornado is very small. I feel the systems already in place are better than 'adequate' as a public service. The OP was complaining that a lot of people died as a result of the siren system being ineffective but my opinion is the exact opposite. I feel the systems already in place SAVED MANY, MANY LIVES!
That's the beauty of things over here. If you want to live your life being paranoid about being killed by a tornado then by all means go invest in a bunch of alarms and various weather equipment so that you can go hide in your cave every time you see a raindrop... but don't put that responsibility into the tax payers' hands.
Yes I'm exaggerating a bit here, but it gets my point across.
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Having an alarm like a smoke detector is not the problem.. the problem is with being FORCED to have an alarm like a smoke detector.
Not sure why this is a problem? If the cost is kept down, to say the cost of a hard wired smoke detector (under $100) and they are done in new construction homes as part of the building code, in the scheme of things, it seems fairly minor, and im sure new home buyers, in tornado prone areas, would like an option such as this.
I can tell you that my company did a study on homes in PA where hard wired smoke detectors are required under the PA building codes (new construction), and found that fire related deaths dropped in these homes. This was found to be a direct result of the hard wired smoke detectors. Plus, the $$$ of the losses went down as the fire was identified quickly, and people were able to get the FD on scene quicker therefore minimizing the damages. Heck, some Ins Co's even offer discounts on the policy if your home has hard wired detectors.
Now requiring you to go out and retrofit your existing home with hard wired detectors does not make any sence with the availability of good ceiling mounted, battery powered smoke detectors. But... should you suffer a loss (large fire) you are required (in PA) to put in the hard wired detectors as part of the rebuild. (all covered by your Insurance policy if you have code upgrades coverage)
New construction, and in a tornado prone area, I think (if they were available) that they absolutely should be required under the bldg code.
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Not sure why this is a problem? If the cost is kept down, to say the cost of a hard wired smoke detector (under $100) and they are done in new construction homes as part of the building code, in the scheme of things, it seems fairly minor, and im sure new home buyers, in tornado prone areas, would like an option such as this.
This issue was the "mandatory" aspect of it. Even in your reply, you specified making it optional.
Now there is a difference between smoke detectors and tornado alarms; fires can be controlled and extinguished, tornadoes can't (yet...). But, I see the point you're making. However, as we've covered, a NOAA weather radio is basically the same thing. There really isn't a huge advantage to hard-wiring it (IMO) because there is very often a loss of power associated with a tornado.
EDIT: btw, I hope someone tells me if something is going to happen tonight. :noid
(http://i666.photobucket.com/albums/vv23/Jayhawk1/627PM.png)
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This issue was the "mandatory" aspect of it. Even in your reply, you specified making it optional.
Now there is a difference between smoke detectors and tornado alarms; fires can be controlled and extinguished, tornadoes can't (yet...). But, I see the point you're making. However, as we've covered, a NOAA weather radio is basically the same thing. There really isn't a huge advantage to hard-wiring it (IMO) because there is very often a loss of power associated with a tornado.
EDIT: btw, I hope someone tells me if something is going to happen tonight. :noid
(http://i666.photobucket.com/albums/vv23/Jayhawk1/627PM.png)
I didnt make it optional.....I said make it part of the building code......"option" was used as a sales point referring to the buyer of the new home.....not as something that "could" be added if they wish....making it an inclusion in the building code would nullify this.
I also said hardwired with a battery back up. Similar to some hardwired smoke detectors.
This isnt a half bad idea btw, especially in tornado prone areas. Hard wired with a battery backup
Regarding not extinguishing the tornado.....it was meant as a metaphor relating to the early warning and helping in the prevention of loss of life.......ie like the smoke detector giving early warning to the ppl in the home, and helping prevent loss of life.
I still believe if this farcical item was made, that it should be a mandated in new construction in areas that are tornado prone.
<Edit> Not arguing with ya, just trying to foster discussion,on a topic that i feel is really interesting. Ive spent alot of time sifting thru the remains of peoples lives caused by natural disasters, fires, floods and the like. Ive seen things that if i dwelled on them would (and have)kept / keep me up for nights. Im a firm believer in an ounce of prevention. This non existant item is a really good idea. :aok
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Conclusion:
If you are asleep, don;t reside under a siren, can't hear very well (getting old is your fault, not ours) or did not prepare to the posters standards, you deserve to die. Having an alarm at home like a smoke detector that could wake you up is out of the question. It would damage the world in so many ways that the Rapture would be just another Saturday :lol
Funny thing is, someone will become a millionaire by taking this idea and implementing it while you guys tell him how stupid he is :lol
Problem here is that the sirens are a few miles away and you can only hear them when there's no sound outside, I mean if a tornado comes through, My neighborhood won't know. Which is a scary thought, But seeing as how not much happens in Georgia, setting up a budget for a tornado siren close by would be voted out without a glance I feel.
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<Edit> Not arguing with ya, just trying to foster discussion,on a topic that i feel is really interesting. Ive spent alot of time sifting thru the remains of peoples lives caused by natural disasters, fires, floods and the like. Ive seen things that if i dwelled on them would (and have)kept / keep me up for nights. Im a firm believer in an ounce of prevention. This non existant item is a really good idea. :aok
How would this device be different than a weather radio?
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Problem here is that the sirens are a few miles away and you can only hear them when there's no sound outside, I mean if a tornado comes through, My neighborhood won't know. Which is a scary thought, But seeing as how not much happens in Georgia, setting up a budget for a tornado siren close by would be voted out without a glance I feel.
If a tornado goes through your neighborhood and the residents don't know about it you have bigger problems that needing a alert system. Seriously though you can get a weather radio from walmart for 20 or 30 bucks. What I don't understand is why you need big brother to take care of you rather than taking care of yourself.
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If a tornado goes through your neighborhood and the residents don't know about it you have bigger problems that needing a alert system. Seriously though you can get a weather radio from walmart for 20 or 30 bucks. What I don't understand is why you need big brother to take care of you rather than taking care of yourself.
Like I said, Weather doesn't happen to often where I live, we dodge a good bit of it. So the need for a system like that isn't needed, storms often catch us by surprise, but we don't get serious weather outbreaks often, years go by without much.
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Outdoor tornado sirens are meant to alert people who are outdoors, and away from radios, TVs, and the internet. They are not meant to heard by people in homes or commercial buildings.
You beat me to it. :salute
There are indoor alarms with light and sound cues available on the market today that tie in to weather services to alert you when indoors. But it's not the government's responsibility to provide them.
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Even then, you can't even hear them hardly from my location. So whether your in a house or not, you won't hear it either way.
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Even then, you can't even hear them hardly from my location. So whether your in a house or not, you won't hear it either way.
What's your point with all this?
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You didn't answer my question. Why do you believe it is the government's responsibility to take care of you when you are perfectly capable of taking care of yourself?
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You didn't answer my question. Why do you believe it is the government's responsibility to take care of you when you are perfectly capable of taking care of yourself?
Its the Governments job to protect its people I recall.
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Its the Governments job to protect its people I recall.
:huh Oh Brother!~ :frown: :(
Please don't come to Texas.
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Words of a Teenager, I'm sorry I haven't seen the world like all of you. You can't take me serious all the time, but I never said you can't take me seriously at all. I'm just saying give me a break.
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...when you are perfectly capable of taking care of yourself?
Herein lies the problem.
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Its the Governments job to protect its people I recall.
Yeah from hostile foreign aggressors. Not people from themselves. Down that way lies madness; among other things.
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The entitlement generation is in trouble :rofl
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The entitlement generation is in trouble :rofl
I never said I was entitled to anything
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:huh Oh Brother!~ :frown: :(
Please don't come to Texas.
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im in the lower half, towards Kentucky. Clermont County.
and yes, yesterday i had looked out the window, and it was amazingly sunny. i was actually playing aceshigh. and i couldn't hear the sirens over the sounds of my planes engine. it was only after i landed that i heard them wailing.
at first i thought they were testing it. (which they sometimes do during the beginning of the week) because i looked out the window next to my computer desk, and it was still amazingly sunny.
so i got up, went into the backyard, and that was when i saw the giant storm cloud coming. before i could do anything tho the wind just hit us hard. my house is next to a sunocos. and one of there plastic garbage cans went flying by my head. i actually had to sorta duck to avoid it (its now stuck ontop of the vacant house next door's roof) and to make things worse, sunoco kept there garbage cans up, so half there trash is now blown into the tree in my backyard.
over at sunoco tho, some people were yelling "twister!" and running inside as it started to hail. now like i said, my house is pretty much nothing but plywood, and has 0% weather protection, so i freaked out a little.
i ran inside, grabbed my hoodie, and sprinted it to a friends a few houses down who had a basement.
in the end, we didn't have a tornado, but it sure looked like it. the wind was so strong it ripped the side panels off a couple houses, there was downed trees every wheres (including on my road) and one house even had a hole in its roof.
there was no predicting that storm was coming from simply looking up at the sky.mother nature can change very quickly.
but i dont think i made my idea clear enough. i was thinking of something similer to a smoke alarm, that would sound to warn the inhabitants. that would be set off when sent to do so similier to how home security units do with there devices.
or maybe even make this an option package with home security? pay a little $$$ extra and the home security unit will install a sort of "home weather system" in your house with a mini speaker in each room. and if there is a major storm and/or tornado watch in your area, it will sound off when they send it the signal. maybe even give it customizable options. like weather you want it to sound for only tornado watches/warnings, for severe weather, or any other type of weather.
its not a perfect plan, but its just my theory. no need to tear it apart with your obnoxious "get educated" "fend for yourself" "learn to predict the weather" :uhoh
p.s sorry for the spelling mistakes, my keyboards keys dont always respond when pushed. and i didn't think we had as bad of grammar freaks on here.
Tyrannis -
I think you've put forward some decent ideas. The trick is to figure out how can you make money off of them. You need to market these ideas. Do some thinking about how you could interface that weather radio system with a home alarm system, then patent the general idea, and approach the companies about it.
You'll feel good about helping people, and the folks on this board will idolize you for making money!
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Sorry but no. I won't idolize anyone for helping with increasing the nanny state. If I don't something completely stupid that I know I shouldn't do I deserve whatever happens to me. If everyone took that outlook there would be no need for something like Preparation H to have a warning to not take it orally.
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You're correct! You getting old and not being able to hear the siren *IS* your fault and not mine. Granted I don't think that you deserve to die, but you have to give people more credit. People suffering from hearing loss already know they they are suffering from hearing loss and will (hopefully) already be taking the necessary actions as a result. If not, then I have a real hard time feeling sorry for them.
Having an alarm like a smoke detector is not the problem.. the problem is with being FORCED to have an alarm like a smoke detector.
We're not saying the guy is stupid... we're just saying that he's not proposing anything that doesn't already exist. The only difference is that what he proposes would be required, whereas what already exists is optional. Since monthly (and sometimes bi-weekly) tests are already run on the alarms, then those of us in tornado-prone areas should already know how close the the siren we are and how well we can hear it. If we don't, then it IS OUR FAULT for not taking the necessary precautions to compensate for a siren that is barely audible.
Also the sirens are hardly reliable. Yes they will warn us if a tornado warning is present in our general area, but it tells us nothing of any tornadoes that are actually on the ground. Because of this, only a small fraction of people will take shelter in a basement or closet just because the sirens go off. No they will instead turn on the TV or weather Radio to determine the extent of danger and then take shelter if necessary. Personally, I almost always have the TV on long before I hear the the sirens.
Here's the way I see it... my house was built in the early 70's. My last house was built in the 30's. I know other houses in the area well over 100 years old. It's hard to imagine that these houses have survived ALL THOSE YEARS without getting destroyed by a tornado! WOW! How rare is that? Seriously even in the worst area of the country chances of actually getting hit by a tornado is very small. I feel the systems already in place are better than 'adequate' as a public service. The OP was complaining that a lot of people died as a result of the siren system being ineffective but my opinion is the exact opposite. I feel the systems already in place SAVED MANY, MANY LIVES!
That's the beauty of things over here. If you want to live your life being paranoid about being killed by a tornado then by all means go invest in a bunch of alarms and various weather equipment so that you can go hide in your cave every time you see a raindrop... but don't put that responsibility into the tax payers' hands.
Yes I'm exaggerating a bit here, but it gets my point across.
Nop, I am not saying required. But it seems to be the best option since all the obvious stuff does not work if you are asleep or forgot to turn it on. As I said, someone will make millions implementing that idea. I never said forced on anyone. Just because some is provided already does not make it the best solution now does it?
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I never said I was entitled to anything
did i mention YOUR name? guess that broad statement hit home huh?
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did i mention YOUR name? guess that broad statement hit home huh?
You pointed it at me indirectly
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oh please point out where i said it was you? i made a broad statement and you took it and ran with it THINKING its you.
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You pointed it at me indirectly
:headscratch:
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(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5memhqq9APo/TEV68D2R5XI/AAAAAAAABBc/odj1bh3kIbs/s1600/Weather_rock.jpg)
:rofl :rofl :rofl
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my solutions to these problems would be:
problem 1: have every house installed with a kind of mini alarm (similer to say, a smoke alarm) that when sent the signal, will warn the residents of watches/warnings. could be installed on the wall similier to how house alarms are, and give off the right sound in the house for what the weather is. therefore people dont have to worry about not hearing the town siren, because they have it in there houses.
Or folks can invest in a weather radio and when there is inclement weather, they can turn them on. No babysitting required. Everyone takes care of themselves.
2: simple solution, find diff sounding sirens for what they are warning/watching for. it would rly be appreciated.
People get used to any alarm and start ignoring them. It is human nature if you hear them often enough.
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The current weather radios sit silent until activated.
No need to turn them on...which is really cool.
I built some weather radios from heathkit in the 70s and one still works.