Statewide Tornado Drill is This Wednesday at 9:50 A.M. – Not at Noon

    Posted: 3/21/2016
    (COLUMBUS, OHIO) – Franklin County Emergency Management and Homeland Security (FCEM&HS) is urging the community to participate in a Statewide Tornado Drill at 9:50 a.m. this Wednesday, March 23, 2016 when the Franklin County Outdoor Warning Siren System will be activated. The sirens will be activated one time for three minutes – a longer tone than in the regular Wednesday noon tests. The test tone will be the same “tornado warning” tone which would be used in an actual tornado warning.

    The 9:50 a.m. March 23rd siren activation will be in place of the regular weekly Wednesday noon test of the Franklin County Outdoor Warning Siren System. 

    For instructions on how to join in the tornado drill click here.  An online participation survey can be accessed at www.fcemhs.org by clicking on Statewide Tornado Drill Participation Survey.

    The drill is part of FCEM&HS’s promotion of Ohio’s Spring Severe Weather Awareness Week, March 20th-26th, to remind the public that with spring comes the possibility of tornadoes, thunderstorms, floods, hail, lighting strikes, and power outages. 

    NOTE: In an actual tornado warning: FCEM&HS will activate the entire Franklin County Outdoor Warning Siren System as soon as the National Weather Service issues a tornado warning for any part of Franklin County. All 196 sirens in the system will be activated even if the warning area covers only part of the county. The sirens will remain activated for as long as the warning is in effect but will not sound continuously – they will sound for three minutes at a time, then be silent for a seven-minute rest period, then repeat this cycle until the warning is cancelled. NWS will issue a tornado warning for an area when a tornado is spotted or radar indicates a tornado is imminent.

    FCEMHS is a local government agency which coordinates county-wide emergency/disaster planning, education, warning, response and recovery.