Team Norfolk Update 5-5-17 - TORNADO SIREN??

Ladies and Gentlemen,

During this morning’s hazardous weather, I received a few calls about a tornado siren being heard in parts around Norfolk.  Norfolk was not under a Tornado Warning, and if we were, it is important to know the city does not utilize tornado sirens.  Incidentally, to my knowledge, no other locality in Hampton Roads does either.  There are some partner organizations such as Norfolk Naval Shipyard and institutions of higher learning like ODU and William & Mary do utilize them for their campuses.  And certainly as one works their way up the Peninsula there are sirens to be used in the case of an incident at the Surry Nuclear Power Station.  The reason we in Norfolk do not use tornado sirens has to do with cost and effectiveness.

Several years back an analysis was done to determine the effective range of just one siren, and then how many sirens to cover the locality and the total was exurbanite – certainly more than the expected benefit.  The other concern had to do with confusion.  As previously mentioned, in some parts of the region a siren means an incident at a nuclear facility.  In another part a siren was used to kickoff a golf tournament (not joking).  And in such a transient area, people bring their own understanding of what a siren should mean.  Lastly, sirens alone do no reach individuals with hearing challenges.

First and foremost, folks are strongly encouraged to invest in a battery-operated SAME-compatible All-Hazards NOAA radio.  This is the most immediate way to be notified, day or night, of an impending threat.  Also, information and adaptive equipment is available to individuals who happen to be deaf and hard of hearing.

We also use a system developed by Everbridge which we refer to as Norfolk Alert.  This system allows us to send out alert notifications to geographically-targeted areas (i.e. specific neighborhoods) for urgent life-saving information or the subscriber base in general (for updates on a storm response, etc.).  Very important: if we need to send an immediate alert to your community (due to active threat, hazardous materials spill, etc.), it is sent to the landline telephones and those cell numbers which have subscribed into the system.  If you no longer use a landline phone and you have not registered for Norfolk Alert, you would not receive the alert.  So please register now!!!  It's easy, just visit Norfolk.gov/emergency or call the Norfolk Cares Call Center at (757) 664-6510.

Another type of alert you may receive is the Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA).  You have likely received one of these alerts which grabbed your attention with a different ring tone or vibration.  And the message may have been for extreme weather or an AMBER Alert.  These messages, which are designed to reach cell phones within the radius of selected cell towers, can be sent by local and state public safety agencies, FEMA, the FCC, the Department of Homeland Security, and the National Weather Service.  Please click here for more details.

It is our mission to provide timely, accurate, actionable and accessible information throughout an incident.  Therefore, it is critical you understand the means by which an alert may be sent and also take the necessary steps to ensure you receive those notifications!  If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us in the Emergency Operations Center!

Sincerely,

Jim Redick
Director, Norfolk EOC
james.redick@norfolk.gov