Tornado drill: A lesson in emergency preparedness

Emergency tornado sirens rang out for the first time this year early Monday morning.

A tornado never quite materialized.

It was the second time in the past five years the sirens have sounded for a storm, said Lynn DeYoung, Minnehaha County emergency manager. It's rare to have a tornado warning late at night. The warning Monday came around 1 a.m., and then it was canceled around 1:30 a.m.

"It's a good reminder for people to take a look at their safety plan and say, 'Well, did I sleep through this, or do I have what I need to protect my wife, family and kids, and make it until tomorrow?'" DeYoung said.

DeYoung said the city only uses the sirens if the National Weather Service issues a tornado warning or if a trained spotter identifies a tornado in the area.

"In many communities across the country, the tornado sirens are activated too much, and as a result people don't take the cover they need," DeYoung said. "They don't enact their safety plan."

But what if you're a heavy sleeper and don't hear the sirens?

Nathan Graham in Colton said that happened to him.

"My girlfriend had to wake me up," Graham said.

It is not hard to believe someone could sleep through the tornado sirens because they are meant to alert only those who are outdoors. DeYoung said they are not designed to be heard through the walls of a home.

"It's very important to have a manner or method to receive that warning information when you go to bed at night," said Todd Heitkamp, warning coordination meteorologist for the National Weather Service of Sioux Falls.

Weather radios and phone apps are meant to alert those inside of nearby weather emergencies. The weather service posted on Facebook an explanation that phone warnings only occur for those within the warned area and will only work if the phone is turned on.

"This was another example of knowing what to expect as you went to bed, but also having a method to receive warning information," the post said.

When the tornado sirens ring out in Sioux Falls, getting to safety is a priority, said Heitkamp.

"Don't worry about unplugging anything," Heitkamp said. "Don't worry about anything like that ... just get yourself and your family to a place of safety as quick as possible."

A place of safety may vary depending on living situation, but the closer to the ground, the better. If getting underground or to ground level is not possible, Heitkamp said the bathroom or closet would likely be safest.

"The main rule of thumb is to be in the lowest level possible and put as many walls between you and the tornado as possible," Heitkamp said.