Dispelling siren confusion after deadly Iowa tornadoes

Greenfield, Iowa is reeling after a massive tornado Tuesday left several dead, many more hurt and breathtaking damage.
The death toll could've been much higher if Greenfield hadn't had more than a half hour of lead time for people to get to shelter.

But many times it's how that warning is relayed that can make the difference.
Sirens should be at the bottom of your list.

"Different counties have different criteria for setting them off, different personnel in different counties responsible for the activation of sirens," says 21 News Chief Meteorologist Eric Wilhelm.

Trumbull County emergency management officials tell 21 News the sirens are wired to sound county-wide, even if one area is out of danger.
Costs to upgrade that to match the National Weather Service's area-specific polygons is very expensive.

In Mahoning County, the siren network works the same way.
But officials there also use the IPAWS, or Integrated Public Alert and Warning System.
That carries alerts to your phone as long as you have Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs) turned on.

Columbiana County has never had a county-wide siren system.
Residents can get alerts through WENS, another mobile alert carrier, but only if they sign up for them.
A few municipalities in Columbiana County do have outdoor sirens.

"Whether the warning is in effect for a small sliver of a county or the entire county, we want everyone to have multiple, redundant ways of getting warnings," says Wilhelm. Those include WEAs, the always-free Storm Tracker 21 app, and a NOAA Weather Radio.

Three layers of protection to keep you and your family safe.