....Ya THINK????

I was reading our local newspaper and found this article about the recent tornado:

No Sirens Warned Downtown of Tornado
By HEATHER VOGELL , MEGAN CLARKE
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 03/20/08

Minutes before a deluge of rain and hail hit the south Decatur neighborhood of Oakhurst on Saturday, a siren sounded a steady wail.

A man's voice boomed: "Attention. A tornado warning is in effect for Agnes Scott College. Seek shelter now. I repeat: A tornado warning is in effect."

Perched atop a college library, the siren didn't reach only students. It also delivered the primary warning for residents nearby who were not tuned in to a television, radio or the Internet.

Agnes Scott's siren is a rare piece of equipment in DeKalb County, which dismantled its outdoor siren system years ago. Fulton County did the same, citing upkeep costs.

As a result, no such alert sounded in Atlanta or unincorporated Fulton before the tornado struck downtown Friday night. Only residents within earshot of a city or school that had bought its own sirens heard them.

Outdoor sirens can now broadcast detailed voice messages over expansive areas, but their use remains scattershot across the metro area, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution found.

State emergency officials do not track who sounds what sirens or where. State authorities play no role in deciding when to set them off or what a so-called "big voice" should say.

That leaves counties and cities on their own to navigate debates about cost, usefulness and appropriate warnings.

…..In Fulton, cities from Alpharetta and Roswell on the north side to Union City and College Park on the south side have sirens — but the county itself doesn't.

In the wake of last weekend's storms, the Atlanta-Fulton County Emergency Management Agency will look more closely at whether sirens are needed.
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My comment: WELL, DUHHHHHHH!