Tornado State List Released by The Weather Channel

The 2012 tornado season is already off to a fast start, with 18 tornadoes and more than 50 tornado-related fatalities. The Weather Channel recently released its list of “Top Tornado States,” bringing awareness to those who live in tornado prone areas. Did your state make the list? How is your city or state prepared to communicate critical weather notifications to residents and visitors?

Florida came in at #1 of The Weather Channel’s “Top Tornado States” list with 12.3 tornados from 1950 to 2010, followed by Kansas, Maryland, Illinois, Mississippi, Iowa, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Alabama. Louisiana was named #10, with 8.5 tornadoes.

In a recent tornado tech broadcast, James Spann, a TV meteorologist in Birmingham, says reliance on sirens has led to dozens of deaths over the years. “In the siren mentality, it’s the idea that you’re always going to hear a tornado siren before a tornado strikes. And I believe it’s a farce,” he said.

The NPR broadcast journalist reminded listeners that sirens are decades-old air-raid technology from World War II that were designed to warn people who are outdoors of threats. With better constructed homes and insulation, the reporter continued, outdoor warnings rarely make it inside.

With dozens of news stories recapping failed tornado tests and the mounting cost to fix decades old sirens, it is now more important than ever for emergency managers to make sure that communities are notified of life-threatening storms in a reliable, time sensitive capacity whether the storm hits in the overnight hours or during the day.

Emergency managers can rely on Emergency Communications Network’s CodeRED Weather Warning solution, which automatically delivers targeted severe weather alerts just moments after warnings are issued by the National Weather Service. Alerts are delivered so quickly, CodeRed Weather Warnings often arrive faster than television and radio broadcast messages, allowing residents extra time to prepare for the storm.

And, only citizens in the direct path of the storm are contacted. CodeRED Weather Warning notifications will contact those most at risk,first , using high-tech mapping software that in-house developers created.

For those visitors who may be in your area when a storm hits, the new CodeRED Mobile Alert app can send push notifications, directly on their mobile devices. The app tracks the users current position when location services are turned on, so similar to CodeRED Weather Warning notifications, will only contact the user if they in the direct path of the storm.

There is no better time to begin prepping for what is already shown to be a very active hurricane season. To learn more about a CodeRED Weather Warning that would best suit your community, please call 866-939-0911 and a representative would be happy to review your needs.