Wild spring storms swept across Missouri on Wednesday, dropping around 1.65 inches of rain in Fayette in heavy downpours throughout the morning. Heavy winds accompanied the rain. As tornado watches turned into warnings, students in our local public schools put their tornado drill training to use, hunkering down in shelters until the storms passed.

However, many in the community are concerned that the tornado sirens in Fayette did not sound, even after a tornado warning was issued by the National Weather Service (NWS). A great deal of online consternation blames cities, but the responsibility falls to the Howard County 911 center, located in the county’s Keller Building in Fayette.

Emergency 911 Director Sherri Beeler said the sirens were not turned on due to human error.

“It was absolutely 100% human error. We messed up,” she said in an interview with the Advertiser on Monday.

The mistake was ultimately the product of confusion. Sirens are not sounded during tornado watches but are activated for tornado warnings. They do not go off automatically but are activated by 911 personnel. The first notification from the NWS came in at 8:33 a.m., according to the 911 office’s records. It included southeast Howard County, where a rotation was spotted near Franklin and New Franklin. Sirens in New Franklin were activated. Another alert from the NWS came in eight minutes later at 8:41 a.m. It also gave the location as southeast Howard County, but this time included Fayette. However, that last detail was overlooked, explained Mrs. Beeler.

“When the second one popped up, they did not read the fine print,” she said. “It was a mistake on our end. It was human error.”

In light of the mistake, the 911 center has implemented a new policy. In the event a tornado warning is issued for any part of the county, all sirens countywide will sound.

Mrs. Beeler also suggested that everyone with a mobile phone sign up for RAVE Emergency Alert System notifications. The service is free and sends alerts directly to mobile telephones.

“In order to help ensure your safety, please sign up for RAVE,” she said. “Tornado Sirens are an outdoor warning system, so they are seldom heard indoors. RAVE is a messaging system that will allow you to receive information.”

Mrs. Beeler planned to explain the matter before the Fayette city council Tuesday evening after the Advertiser had gone to press.

Luckily enough, no one in our section was injured, and no damage was reported. Rain did not turn into hail. Flooding was minor, mostly in low-lying areas and places where the storm sewers couldn’t keep up, and reseeded quickly. The rotation seen near New Franklin never developed into a tornado.

Our neighbors to the south in Pilot Grove were not so lucky. The National Weather Service in Kansas City confirmed an EF-2 tornado with peak winds topping out at 115 miles per hour was on the ground for about six miles near Pilot Grove, leaving significant destruction in its wake.

More tornados formed as the storm moved across the Midwest.

On Wednesday, Governor Mike Kehoe signed Executive Order 25-21, activating the Missouri National Guard to assist with response efforts for ongoing and severe forecasted severe storm systems that have caused or have the potential to cause damage resulting from tornadoes, straight-line winds, large hail, heavy rains, flooding, and flash flooding, impacting communities throughout the State of Missouri. 

“As we face the ongoing threat of severe weather, this executive order allows us to mobilize the necessary resources and personnel to support our communities, protect lives and property, and ensure a swift response to any emergencies that arise,” Governor Kehoe said. “We ask that all Missourians be proactive, stay aware, and use extreme caution during these potentially dangerous weather events.”

Governor Kehoe first declared a State of Emergency on March 14 through Executive Order 25-19 in preparation for severe weather. Executive Order 25-21 will expire on April 14 unless otherwise terminated or extended.