Ask Mr. Answer Person: "Why didn't the sirens sound Thursday night?"

Some of Thursday night's damage

(Ellen e-mails Mr. Answer Person: "I was in town on Thursday night of the "big storm"...we heard the usual 6:00 p.m. siren, that was followed shortly after by total blackness.  Why didn't the sirens go off?.....I had a text message about a storm warning for Winneshiek County.  I was shocked to see the damage as I drove through town around 6:40 p.m. and saw the aftermath of blocked streets downed by trees, etc.  Again, why didn't the sirens sound and is anyone else concerned about this?"

Mr. Answer Person says: "We asked Winneshiek County Emergency Management Coordinator Sean Snyder your question.  He said the guidelines by the National Weather Service call for setting off warning sirens when winds of 70 miles an hour or greater are expected or reported.  The peak winds reported at the Decorah Airport were clocked at 63 miles an hour.  Also, by the time the wind speeds were reported, the storm had moved quite quickly through the town.

Mr. Answer Person adds: "Whenever a storm that does as much damage as Thursday night's storm in Decorah passes through a community, it's natural to question whether there was adequate warning time.  But weather, by its nature, is unpredictable, so there will always be cases where a storm comes up quickly"

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