SILOAM SPRINGS, AR (KNWA) — Wednesday night’s severe weather threat stretched all across Northwest Arkansas.
Portions of Benton County were under a tornado warning and radar indicated a tornado near Siloam Springs, but the National Weather Service did not issue a warning for Siloam in particular.
That decision, along with the decision not to sound the city’s tornado sirens, did not sit well with residents.
The National Weather Service issued the warning after radar indicated a tornado south of the city but did not include Siloam Springs. However, some residents still felt threatened and took to Facebook and social media expressing frustration about the city’s decision not to sound storm sirens.
“What am I to do if my phone dies or power goes out? When am I to know to put my family in shelter? I don’t care if the tornado is 30 miles away, if it’s headed towards my town turn them on,” said one resident.
The city’s Emergency Operations Center said it had a team watching radar and spotters keeping an eye on the sky while storms were severe with hail and high winds.
Public safety officials in Siloam Springs say they did not feel the city was threatened Wednesday night. They also say sirens are a last resort.
“The decision to not activate the outdoor warning system was very deliberate. We don’t want our residents to have siren fatigue, and we want them to know when that outdoor warning system does come about, there is an imminent threat,” explains Chief Greg Neely, Siloam Springs Public Safety Department.
Siloam Springs Police Chief Jim Wilmeth said officers did patrol a portion of town alerting residents of potential dangers.
