How Do The Tornado Sirens In Lubbock Function?

Last Thursday and to a degree Friday, Lubbock had possible tornados. It was some very scary weather, but what causes the tornado sirens to go off?

Last Thursday was the first time in my almost 40 years in Lubbock, Texas that things seemed bad enough to take shelter. I've always had a plan on where I'd go if there was a tornado, but it was the first time I actually had to do it.

This weather event has given all of us time to review how we acted, what was reported and what we should do next time. There was one turn of a phrase that I think could be stated better.

Read More: Severe Weather Hits Lubbock: Tornado Threat And Damage Reports

I saw in several places people say, "The weather got close enough to activate the tornado sirens". The problem with saying it this way is that it leads one to believe that tornado sirens are activated by sensors or some type of sophisticated computers.

Lubbock Tornado Sirens Are Human Powered

The fact is, the tornado sirens are activated by regular humans. Yes, they are highly trained city or country officials who are following protocols, but it's just humans who flick the switch.

I think this is a pretty important distinction. One of the things that made this episode scarier than usual was that we could hear that low roar/train sound in my neighborhood. You might think the sirens have technology that "read" or "hear" that kind of thing, but they do not. Our tornado sirens are as smart or as dumb as the people who operate them.