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.