Lucas County Urges Text Alerts After Tornado Exposes Siren Flaws

TOLEDO, Ohio — Following a tornado in 2023 that caused significant damage, Lucas County officials are encouraging residents to switch to text alerts for more precise and reliable severe weather warnings. The advice comes after an EF-2 tornado struck the Point Place community in June 2023.

The tornado produced winds reaching up to 130 mph in the north Toledo neighborhood, while just five miles away, the skies remained sunny. This situation left many residents confused when the outdoor warning sirens blared.

Lucas County Commissioner Lisa Sobecki emphasized the limitations of the traditional outdoor warning system. “It’s a sunny day out here and I live in west Toledo, but then we heard that there was a tornado that happened in Point Place, and then the sirens went off and it went Lucas County-wide,” Sobecki said.

Outdoor warning sirens, a concept that goes back to wartime, were designed mainly to alert people who are outside to seek shelter immediately. However, in today’s world where many people are indoors, the effectiveness of these sirens is diminished.

“Those sirens aren’t really to give you that warning inside your home. It’s to let you know outside to take that cover,” Sobecki added.

To deliver more direct and timely information, officials are highlighting various modern alerting tools. Devices such as smart watches and NOAA weather radios can send push alerts immediately when the National Weather Service issues a warning.

Earlier this year, Lucas County enhanced its emergency alert system to better accommodate residents. The revamped system sends text messages directly to subscribed phones, offering practical community updates along with severe weather alerts.

“There’s also other little details on there. It’s not just always weather-related,” Sobecki noted, indicating that the alerts can keep residents informed about numerous community matters.