Wichita Runs Largest-Ever Severe Weather Drill Ahead of Storm Season
With Kansas squarely inside Tornado Alley, emergency managers in Wichita coordinated a citywide siren test and shelter exercise involving dozens of schools and businesses.
Sirens sounded across Sedgwick County on Tuesday morning, not for a real threat but for the largest coordinated severe weather drill the region has staged, part of the state's annual Severe Weather Preparedness Week.
More than 60 schools, several hospitals, and a number of downtown Wichita employers took part, moving occupants to interior rooms and basements while emergency managers tested backup communication systems. Kansas averages dozens of tornadoes each year, and the stretch from April through June is historically the most active.
"The goal is muscle memory," said a county emergency management coordinator. "When the warning comes at two in the afternoon on a Thursday, we want people to move without thinking about it." Officials reminded residents that outdoor sirens are designed to be heard outside and encouraged households to buy a battery-powered weather radio.
Know your county
The National Weather Service office in Wichita urged residents to learn the difference between a watch, which means conditions are favorable, and a warning, which means a tornado has been spotted or indicated on radar. Forecasters also pointed to smartphone alerts as an increasingly reliable backup to the siren network.
A second statewide test is scheduled for later in the month.
