EMA explains why Vinton and Garrison didn't hear sirens

Todd and Sheri Lehman say they saw the rain and heard the wind, but didn't hear any sirens.

That's because the outdoor sirens did not go off for Vinton and Garrison early Monday morning when 100 mile an hour wind gusts destroyed trees, homes and power lines.

“I'm not sure which would have beat us to the punch, the sounds of the siren, or the sound of the storm blowing through,” Todd Lehman said.

Benton County Emergency Management Director Scott Hansen is the man in charge of setting off the outdoor alert system.

“There's always a misconception about the sirens - they are for outdoor warnings,” said Hansen.

He says the Lehmans and other Vinton and Garrison residents didn't hear the sirens because they didn't go off, but also because many people were inside at the time.

“If you're in your home, doors closed, with air conditioning on, you're not going to hear an outdoor warning siren,” said Hansen.

He says every home needs a weather radio tuned to their county to alert them to severe weather, because relying only on the outdoor sirens is a mistake.

Hansen said Monday night's storm shifted quickly. The winds picked up unexpectedly, and before he could sound the outdoor alarm, the wall of straight-line winds hit the town.

“They may have known something was coming. It would have been better to be safe than sorry,” said Sheri Lehman.

But Hansen said Benton County isn't likely to review the 70 mile an hour wind policy for setting off the sirens. Instead, he stressed that people should prepare themselves for severe weather both indoors and out.