Tornado sirens? (Middleburg, Washington: credit, house, neighborhood)

[NC211]

Question: Are there any tornado sirens in the Brambleton and Broadlands area? How would I know if one were present during sleeping hours?

[Pandoras]

Originally Posted by NC211

Question: Are there any tornado sirens in the Brambleton and Broadlands area? How would I know if one were present during sleeping hours?

You can get a weather radio. NOAA Weather Radio

[ersatz]

What Pandoras said (Pandoras: the site won't let me give you a reputation credit for some reason. I repeatedly tried. You deserve one.). The state of Virginia has zero tornado sirens.

[smithy77]

In the parts of the country that have tornado sirens, they used the old cold-war era civil defense sirens (and have upgraded them over the years). Northern Virginia volunteer fire departments used to use them to alert their volunteers (this was before cell phones), but I don't think they ever used them for tornado warnings. I could be wrong, but I think they've all been dismantled. Dumb. I grew up in tornado alley (Omaha), and they would crank them up if there was a funnel cloud within 30 miles of the city, even if the cloud hadn't touched the ground (most of them don't). It's ironic that, while growing up in Omaha and living my early adult life in Oklahoma City, Chicago, St. Louis, and Texas, I never experienced a killer tornado, but I've lived through three (killer tornadoes) here in the last 25 years-----and no warning sirens. Go figure.

[spencgr]

They still get that siren going in Middleburg, but I think it's just used to call volunteers to the fire house. Not sure if they would also use it for a tornado warning.

(It drives my dogs CRAZY when it goes off.)

[South Jersey Styx]

The only sirens I have ever heard in NoVA and DC are ambulances, fire engines, or other emergency vehicles. Even with all the info about evacuation systems -- seems like the only evacuation system I've seen is that people find out about something and run for their lives.

As far as tornado watches: watch the news and just be on top of the warnings and be prepared.

I wonder if there is some kind of cell phone text messaging warning system? We have one at work and I know some colleges have them. That's something that could work all hours of the day.

Also, you may be lucky to live in a neighborhood where neighbors will knock on your door in the middle of the night. I would definitely wake up my neighbors if I could.

[terrence81]

No they do not have sirens in VA. I grew up with them in Georgia. Every Saturday at noon they "practice" the sirens.

As a little one this meant that Saturday morning cartoons were officially over. As a teenager this meant it was time to actually get up and do nothing sitting up versus laying down. As a young adult it meant it was almost time to get ready for work and in my mid-twenties it meant that I should once again do nothing sitting up versus laying down. Love hearing the sirens when I ever I go home. Let's me know I'm officially back in Georgia.

[NC211]

Smithy77 - Sounds like we've led similiar lives. I've lived in Edmond, Glen Ellyn, KC, and my folks spend the summers on Grand Lake in NE Oklahoma outside of Tulsa. Infact, if I could figure how to post a picture here, I'd post a picture of the tornado that hit Joplin last year, that formed and touched down about 2 miles west of my folks house in Oklahoma. Scary stuff!

I knew about the weather radio, and will go pick one up. I wonder if there is an app for the iphone that does the same thing as well? I'm surprised no tornado sirens here though. But, probably would freak everyone out if it went off, thinking the place was about to get nuked by Pakistan or something..

[South Jersey Styx]

Originally Posted by NC211

I'm surprised no tornado sirens here though. But, probably would freak everyone out if it went off, thinking the place was about to get nuked by Pakistan or something..

Nah, don't need sirens to set off a panic. Around here, just turn on the news!

[Fundman]

There is maybe 1 or 2 tornadoes every 10 years in the Washington area. The last real one was in La Plata, Maryland in 2002. The tiny threat doesn't warrant sirens.