Benjamin Rance

Stories

Grand Rapids upgrades sirens to alert only neighborhoods within a mile of a threat

In office

Grand Rapids' 27 outdoor warning sirens now sound only within a mile of the area the National Weather Service flags as a threat, instead of all at once across the city. The first test under the new year-round schedule is at noon Friday, Nov. 6.

Updated 5 days ago

Notable Quotes

"It helps us match alerts to real-time conditions so people can act quickly and stay safe."

from Grand Rapids upgrades sirens to alert only neighborhoods within a mile of a threat · Updated 5 days ago

"Previously, our system was all or nothing: they either all went off, or they were all silent."

from Grand Rapids upgrades sirens to alert only neighborhoods within a mile of a threat · Updated 5 days ago

"Back in the day, people used to call them tornado sirens, but really, they're all-purpose warning sirens right now."

from Grand Rapids upgrades sirens to alert only neighborhoods within a mile of a threat · Updated 5 days ago

"One of the biggest things we want to avoid is just alert fatigue. Whether that is through the warning sirens, whether it's through our alert text message notifications that we send out through the city, we just want to ensure that when people hear the sirens, they know it's either our regularly scheduled test every month, or that it's a serious situation and they need to go indoors to see more information."

from Grand Rapids upgrades sirens to alert only neighborhoods within a mile of a threat · Updated 5 days ago