By Deb Patterson
InkFreeNews

SYRACUSE — If you were in Syracuse on Syracuse or Wawasee lakes around 1:15 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 11, you couldn’t help but hear the outdoor warning siren going off twice in succession for three minutes each. While there was no tornado, there was a warning for wind speeds greater than 75 mph.

Turkey Creek Fire Chief Mickey Scott noted this has been a standard operating procedure for numerous years. Scott has said numerous times in public meetings as well as in provided the information in the property owners directories for Syracuse and Wawasee.

That information notes that the sirens are activated during an emergency when a tornado warning has been issued, or a tornado confirmed in the area by first responders, police officers or trained weather spotters.

But what people are forgetting is the last sentence of that statement: ‘The sirens will also be activated in the event of a severe thunderstorm warning in our area with wind speeds greater than 75 mph predicted.”

Those wind speeds, he said, can cause damage to roofs, topple mobile homes, bring down trees as well as limbs.

Residents should remember that siren is an outdoor warning for severe weather warnings and does not only sound if there is a tornado, but also for predicted strong winds over 75 mph