SAINT JOSEPH - On Wednesday, March 27, 2019 at 1PM, a Statewide Tornado Drill is scheduled. The sirens that are controlled by Berrien County will not sound during this tornado drill. These sirens are tested on a regular interval (first Saturday of each month). This long-established interval ensures that everyone in the community is on the same page and reduces confusion of a siren test versus a real event. Some local municipalities may choose to sound their sirens for the tornado drill. Contact your local municipal office to determine if they intend on sounding their sirens. The sirens controlled by Berrien County are generally 10 miles around Bridgman (within all 5 land areas in picture).
Regardless of whether sirens are sounded for the drill or not, there are some things you may do to participate in the tornado drill. We encourage you to make sure you can receive tornado alerts quickly by signing up for B-Warn! , making sure your NOAA weather radio is in good working condition, and understand what you should do if you did hear sirens in a real event (tips below). We encourage you to discuss with co-workers, staff, other occupants of workplaces and your family at home what to do if a tornado warning was issued. It is also a good time to remind ourselves that we need to remain "weather aware" and ensure we know when there are days where conditions are favorable for severe weather. Review the tools available by the National Weather Service.
If you hear the sirens, generally, you should:
If the emergency siren sounds for three to five minutes, tune to the television and radio stations here.
All of the stations listed in the link above are part of the local Emergency Alert System (EAS). These stations will broadcast emergency information. Some of the stations may experience a delay in getting emergency information out due to computerized programming or limited broadcast scheduling. Check all of the listed stations until you find one that is broadcasting emergency information.
If you hear a siren for less than a minute or a siren repeated in less-than a-minute intervals, it may be a volunteer fire station, malfunctioning siren, or a test.
However, tune to an area radio or television station listed in the above link to be sure.
If you notice that a siren is damaged or not working, call 269-983-7141, Ext. 4900 immediately.
For your protection, report non-working sirens right away.