Wednesday, June 29, 2011

ARTICLE #2

Postcard to replace tornado sirens

Cedar Park's plan to replace sirens is a postcard

Updated: Friday, 27 May 2011, 5:33 PM CDT
Published : Thursday, 26 May 2011, 8:20 PM CDT
CEDAR PARK (KXAN) - Cedar Park residents should expect to receive a postcard in the next month educating residents about how to stay safe during severe weather and tornados.
The postcard says:
* Have a plan
* Make a Kit
* Stay informed
Emergency management coordinator Jessica Jackson told council that every weekend in June they will have a "how to prepare for a disaster display" at Walmart.
More information can be found on the City's website .
Thursday night , the Cedar Park city council praised a public preparedness plan that replaces its soon-to-be removed early warning tornado sirens.
Currently the sirens are functional and don’t cost anything to activate. KXAN spoke with Cedar Park Mayor Bob Lemon Thursday evening. Lemon said the city would use the sirens until they’re removed, but he said the system is old technology and there are other ways to alert people.
Recent deadly tornados in the Midwest and Southeast did not change the mind of Cedar Park officials. Mayor Lemon said the sirens will eventually come down; he also feels that people seem to be confused by the sirens.
"We want to get so far beyond sirens. I don't think people understand what a siren is. I don't think it registers with people,” said Lemon.
City officials have not said how much its costing to produce and mail the postcards. They also have not said how many residents will receive them. City officials refused on camera interviews to answer those questions.


McHenry, Catenya. "Cedar-park's-plan-replaces-tornado-sirens | KXAN.com." Austin News, Weather, Sports, Traffic | KXAN.com. KXAN, 27 May 2011. Web. 29 June 2011. 


Do you think Cedar Park should remove their tornado sirens?  Explain in at least three complete sentences why or why not.  

5 comments:

  1. They should move to newer technology, but until everyone catches on to the new technology, use the sirens, too.

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  2. We do not believe the sirens should be removed. A postcard is not sufficient enough to prepare and protect the citizens. Most people throw away postcards from the city, so there should be some better warning system for people who are not at home watching television or in their cars listening to the radio.

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  3. We do not believe that removing tornado sirens would be beneficial to Cedar Park. The safety of the residents should be our number one priority. Removing sirens would put all residents in harms way.

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  4. No, the sirens should be kept. Although at times old technology seems outdated, it sometimes works better than new-fangled stuff. If everyone can hear the siren, they will know its purpose.

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  5. Yes they should replace the sirens as it is old technology. they should consider giving their residents more information on how to prepare than a postcard or a sign at Walmart- perhaps they should consider the alert systenm the city of Ausdtin usese over the television.

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