Shawnee County tornado sirens turn controversial for some local residents

TOPEKA (KSNT) - A local emergency management spokesman is weighing on why the decision was made to turn tornado sirens on during Wednesday night's storms.

Tornado sirens could be heard across Shawnee County in the evening hours on March 13. 27 News spoke with Dusty Nichols with Shawnee County Emergency Management about the thinking behind setting off the county's tornado sirens. Tornados were reported in nearby counties with Shawnee County being placed on alert by the National Weather Service (NWS) as the storm system moved through northeast Kansas.

Nichols said the sirens were activated as reports of tornadic activity came in from weather radar and storm spotters on the ground. The sirens were turned on for their three-minute cycle as emergency management's policy is to get locals to pay attention to the weather and turn their televisions on.

The move was made out of caution, but ultimately received mixed responses from locals. Nichols said while some people called Shawnee County Emergency Management to say thanks for sounding the sirens, others were upset about the sirens despite the close proximity of tornadoes being reported on the ground near the Rossville area.

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