We learned more about the response of the outdoor warning devices during Friday night's tornado warning.
Julie Stimson, Director of Sedgwick County Emergency Management, was asked by Sedgwick County Commissioners why the sirens sounded in other parts of the county not being affected by the tornado.
When the county receives the warning from the National Weather Service, it's in the form of a polygon. Typically, the sirens located inside the polygon are the only ones that activate. Friday night, the sirens did not sound initially when that warning polygon was received, so they went to their backup plan, in which officials push a "panic button" to activate all of the sirens in the county.
Stimson says they have a plan to improve the system, pending funding approval by the county.
Stimson added the sirens have a range of about a mile, depending on weather conditions. She reiterated that they are designed to alert people who are outdoors, not inside homes.
Also at the commission meeting, we received an update on the ongoing recovery efforts.
County officials say 35 structures were damaged in the tornado, 25 of them were homes which had severe damage. They say the recovery process will have two phases, in the short-term and long term.
The tornado began in Sedgwick County near McArthur and 127th Street East, and exited at 159th and Pawnee. It was rated EF-3.
Director Stimson reminded people that are not residents of the disaster area or are not helping out with the recovery to stay out.
