In Fishers, we have already experienced a Tornado Warning recently, at 3am no less. That triggered the warning siren system.
The weekly testing of the tornado warning sirens, which takes a hiatus during the winter months, will return to its 11am Friday routine March 11th.
The sirens will also sound during the statewide tornado drill on Tuesday, March 15, between 10:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Hamilton County Emergency Management encourages everyone to exercise your plan by going to your safe place during the drill.
“The outdoor warning sirens are intended to warn those who are outdoors,” said Shane Booker, Executive Director of Emergency Management, in a news release. “Because sirens are not intended to warn those indoors, we recommend every household and business to have a weather radio.”
Delaware and Fall Creek Townships, which encompasses the entire City of Fishers, have a total of 20 sirens.
Here are more details about the siren system from the Hamilton County Emergency Management news release:
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Sirens are only sounded when:
- The National Weather Service issues a tornado warning – visit https://www.weather.gov/safety/tornado-ww for more information
- When public safety personnel sees a funnel cloud or tornado
- When a trained weather spotter sees a funnel cloud or tornado
On Sunday, March 6, the National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for a portion of Hamilton County. Only the sirens for the municipalities in contact with the polygon were sounded (Fishers sirens were sounded). For example, the sirens in Cicero were sounded; however, the sirens in Sheridan and Arcadia were not because they were not in the warned area.
When the National Weather Service issues a tornado warning, a message will be sent to cell phones in the county. FEMA, which manages the Emergency Alert System and the Wireless Emergency Alerts, is working to improve alerts to only those in the warned area. Emergency Management uses the same system to send non-weather-related emergencies to cell phones and weather radios. Alerts can include hazardous materials warnings, shelter-in-place warnings, law enforcement warnings, and more.
Emergency Management recommends everyone have a plan for severe weather, an emergency kit with supplies for at least three days, and multiple ways to receive warnings such as a weather radio and the free HCEM mobile app. Resources to help you prepare for severe weather, emergencies, and disasters are available at www.ready.gov. The website also includes information and games to help children understand emergency preparedness.