[ d i s a s t e r s c i e n c e ]
19
Case Study
Improving Tornado
Warnings
The tornado that hit Joplin on May 22, 2011, was the first
tornado since 1953 to result in more than 100 deaths. Since
this tornado was especially destructive, a team of scientists
studied people’s responses to the tornado warnings. They
hoped to find ways to improve future tornado warnings.
The team interviewed 100 Joplin survivors. Most people
said that they heard the first warning siren at 5:11 p.m.
This siren sounded for three minutes. Some people did not
realize at first how serious the tornado was. They did not
go to shelters after the first signal. Many cities in Tornado
Alley use sirens to warn people about severe weather. This
can include tornadoes or harmful thunderstorms. People
wanted to learn more about the weather conditions before
taking shelter.
The team concluded that the sirens had prevented
some deaths and injuries in Joplin. But they also
suggested changes to the warning system. The scientists
thought that clearer alerts would encourage more people
to take shelter. These alerts could give more details about
the tornado, so that people could make better decisions.
The scientists presented their findings to the National
Weather Service. The findings will improve ways to help
people respond to tornado warnings.
