Search the Tulsa World database of Oklahoma tornadoes since 1950.

hroughout his life in Oklahoma, 56-year-old Dennis Lamecker estimates that he’s seen about eight tornadoes.

But the rancher, who for the past 12 years has lived in northern Tulsa County, has never heard a tornado siren. And he probably won’t hear one this year.

Lamecker’s home off North Lewis Avenue sits in a gap of Tulsa County’s outdoor siren coverage.

As many as 24,800 county residents live in areas not reached by outdoor tornado sirens, a Tulsa World analysis found. Sometimes sirens serve as people’s first or only warning of approaching danger.

Last month a twister killed eight people and destroyed more than 100 homes as it ripped through Lone Grove, a small town in southern Oklahoma.

Many Tulsa County residents not covered by a siren live in the county’s remote north and southwest sections, the World found.

According to National Weather Service data, at least 14 tornadoes have struck northern Tulsa County since 1950. At least 12 have struck the county’s southern parts.

Search the Tulsa World database of nationwide tornadoes from 1950 to 2008.

Lamecker’s home, where he raises about 25 horses and cattle, is too far east to hear the sirens in Sperry and Skiatook and too far west to hear the sirens in Owasso.

Although he said he doesn’t mind the lack of coverage, Lamecker said some neighbors are concerned. And that concern is likely to increase as people continue to populate rural areas.

“It would be nice to hear them, but it’s been that way my whole life,” Lamecker said. “But I would think that there are people here who are worried about it.”

Most of Tulsa County is blanketed by outdoor warning sirens.

The county’s 215 sirens are within hearing range of more than 95 percent of its residents, according to a World analysis of siren data and data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Nearly all of Tulsa is covered, but small gaps surround the city and its outside communities. Those pockets get larger as they move into more rural areas.

Although some border residents not covered by Tulsa County sirens might be able to hear sirens in neighboring counties, emergency management officials acknowledge that there are pockets in the outdoor warning systems.

“The problem comes when you have remote areas,” said John Campbell, fiscal officer for the Tulsa Area Emergency Management Agency. “Still, most households have a television and radio. You just need to pay attention.”

Lamecker said he watches television during storms and, as a former pilot, has learned to read the weather. He also said he wouldn’t mind having a tornado siren within earshot of his home.

Area outdoor warning sirens have varying audible ranges. Sand Springs’ 19 sirens, for example, reach 70 decibels up to a half-mile away, said Greg Fisher, the city’s emergency management director.

Seventy decibels is equivalent to the noise generated by average street traffic.

Tulsa’s warning system is made up of 84 sirens with a one-mile range, while Owasso’s 15 sirens reach 70 decibels up to two miles away.

Follow the VORTEX2 team with live transmissions from moving vehicles as they track storms, live streaming video online and real-time blog and Twitter updates.

The Weather Channel's meteorologist Mike Bettes will be on the ground chasing tornados and will be providing daily blog and video blog updates.

Ranges could fluctuate depending on weather and topography.

Cliff Motto, Owasso’s emergency management director, said he expects the city to install a 16th siren later this year. But he said still there will be gaps in Owasso’s coverage.

“When these things go off, it’s in the worst of the conditions, and they’re hard to hear,” Motto said. “The plan will be to fill in as we go.”

That could be expensive. Sirens cost about $25,000 each, Motto said.

Lee Johnson, Liberty fire chief, said cost was one reason Liberty hasn’t replaced its siren, which broke a couple years ago. Plus, only about 50 people lived inside the siren’s one-mile range, he said.

“Since it can reach so few people, it’s probably better to spend our funds on other means,” Johnson said.

Sixty nine tornadoes touched down or spun across Tulsa County from 1950 to 2006. These are their paths. Black dots represent tornadoes that either immediately dissipated or do not have complete data. Data for all 69 tornadoes were not available.

It’s because they’re sometimes hard to hear and don’t cover the entire county that emergency managers said residents should not rely solely on outdoor warning sirens.

Sirens aren’t meant to alert people who are in their home, Motto said. Instead, they’re meant to warn people outside of possible danger.

“It’s not designed to wake you up from a dead sleep, and that’s a lot of people’s misconception,” he said. “They think it should, and it doesn’t.”

Television alerts, city-operated reverse calling systems and portable weather radios can fulfill that role.

Fisher said Sand Springs just finished installing a $15,000 system that can call 10,000 homes in three minutes. The calling system could be used during this year’s tornado season, he said.

Owasso has a similar system, said Motto, who added weather radios are an inexpensive and effective means of alerting homeowners.

“Unless you’re flat broke, you should have $25 for a weather radio,” he said. “It’s a small price to pay to know what’s happening.”

Gavin Off 732-8106
gavin.off@tulsaworld.com

By Althea Peterson
World Staff Writer

It’s time for twister season once again, where planning and preparedness are keys to safety. Here are some tips on thinking ahead to when a tornado may hit from meteorologist Robert Darby of the

Tulsa National Weather Service:

Predetermined place: Make sure everyone knows exactly what place to be in case of a tornado. This applies not only to people living in the household, but also dependents, especially if they live in an unsafe place, like a mobile home.

Safety spots: The safe place should be away from glass, like windows and be on the lowest floor possible with as many walls between you and the outside of the home as possible. Ideal meeting places include bathrooms without windows, closets or best of all, basements.

Clothing for conditions: Make sure to have clothing with long sleeves and shoes handy in case of flying debris or broken glass afterward. Heavy blankets or quilts can also be used to shield against debris if necessary.

Flashlights to First Aid: In case of power outages or injuries, having necessary medications, a first aid kit with bandages and flashlights with batteries will be helpful until the weather passes. A weather radio with extra batteries will also help keep everyone informed about the storm.

Weather wise: Know your tornado watches from your tornado warnings. Watches usually last six to eight hours when weather conditions in an area are ideal for a tornado. Warnings mean that a tornado is eminent or has been spotted.

LOCATION DATE DAMAGE AMOUNT Bridge Creek-Oklahoma City-Moore-Del City 5/3/1999 $1 billion Moore-Oklahoma City-Choctaw 5/8/2003 $370 million Altus 5/11/1982 $200 million Ardmore 5/7/1995 $100+ million Cordell 10/9/2001 $100 million Tulsa 4/19/1981 $75-100 million Stroud 5/3/1999 $60 million Catoosa 4/24/1993 $50+ million Bartlesville 3/15/1982 $30-40 million Picher/ Quapaw 5/10/2008 $15.6 million

* Data from the National Weather Service *   Tracy Bisbee, age 12, and Cassie Rivers, age 11, clean the mud off the keys of a baby grand piano amid the rubble of the Ridgecrest Baptist Church in Bridge Creek the day after 36 people were killed by a tornado May 3, 1999. The girls attended the church and were tasked with cleaning the piano as other salvaged what they could from the debris. Michael Wyke/Tulsa World

By Gavin Off
World Data Editor

Oklahoma averages 53 tornadoes a year, according to the National Weather Service. Tulsa County averages about 1.2 a year.

The most recent local tornado touched down May 7, 2008, when a 50-yard-wide twister spun for about one-third of a mile near Broken Arrow. No one was injured.

The last time a Tulsa County twister injured someone was in April 2006. According to the weather service, an F1 tornado injured seven as it cut a nearly half-mile-long path southwest of Tulsa International Airport.

Although May is the busiest month of the state’s tornado season, activity begins to ramp up in March, data show.

Since 1950, five twisters have touched down in March in Tulsa County, including two that formed in March 2000. Both measured an F0 on the Fujita Scale.

By Bryan Painter
The Oklahoman

Sometimes if you hear something enough, you start to consider it fact. We talk a lot in Oklahoma about tornadoes. But what is myth and what is truth? Officials at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/Department of Commerce have tried to address some of these and I’ve mixed in a few reminders regarding each of the myths/truths.

For instance:

Myth: The low pressure with a tornado causes buildings to explode as the tornado passes overhead.

Truth: Violent winds and debris slamming into buildings cause most structural damage.

Some advise that you have helmets for your children to wear as part of their shelter safety.

Myth: Windows should be opened before a tornado approaches to equalize pressure and minimize damage.

Truth: Leave the windows alone. The most important action is to immediately go to a safe shelter.

Use the time provided by a warning to seek shelter.

Myth: If you are driving and a tornado is sighted, you should turn and drive at right angles to the storm.

Truth: The best thing to do is to seek the best available shelter. Many people are injured or killed when remaining in their vehicles.

Tornadoes do not go from point A to point B. They can shift before you can turn.
bpainter@opubco.com