Tornado Tragedy in Upstate NY Sparks Urgent Debate Over Sirens

In the wake of the EF1 tornado that tragically struck the Town of Kirkland this summer, taking the lives of twin six-year-old girls and a woman in Clark Mills, many Central New Yorkers are asking a tough question: Why didn’t more people get a warning?

A recent report from Spectrum News explored how tornado alerts are currently issued in Upstate New York and whether installing traditional sirens could help prevent future tragedies.

How Tornado Alerts Work

According to the National Weather Service in Binghamton, tornado warnings are sent out using something called WEA, or Wireless Emergency Alerts. Those are the push notifications you get on your phone when something serious is happening nearby.

But these alerts are only sent to phones within a certain “polygon” area, so if you're outside of that shape, your phone might not go off.

Read More: Can You Die from Lightning in New York?

Add in poor cell service in rural areas and some people may not get the warning at all, especially when the storm hits fast.

So, Would Tornado Sirens Help?

That’s a million-dollar question. Literally.

Spectrum’s report also included insight from Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente, who said adding tornado sirens across a county as large as Oneida would cost millions, and even then, there’s no guarantee everyone would hear them.

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He also pointed out a logistical issue that doesn’t get much attention. If a neighboring county, like Herkimer has a warning, does Oneida sound the sirens too?

What You Can Do Right Now to Stay Safe

Until better systems are in place, the best thing you can do is have multiple ways to receive weather alerts. The most reliable? A good old-fashioned NOAA weather radio.