Some residents say Benton County needs more tornado siren safety

BENTON COUNTY, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — In the wake of the Memorial Day weekend tornadoes that swept through Northwest Arkansas, some Benton County residents feel there aren’t enough tornado sirens around Beaver Lake to alert people of dangerous weather coming in.

Beaver Lake resident Karissa Chavez was wondering what she could have done to get her family to safety quickly.

Chavez says that she was relying on the tornado siren to alert her in her trailer home, and she felt vulnerable during the storms.

The National Weather Service says the sirens are designed only to alert people who are outside when dangerous weather is approaching.

“It kills me. It does. Because if we had that siren, we probably could have gone to a neighbor with a storm cellar,” Chavez said.

“You can make sure that your family is in a safe place and gather their plan….” said Bentonville communications director Melody Kwok “Know where to take them with your emergency preparedness kit, with chargers, food, water and put that in your safe place.”

Kwok also says there is a FEMA-enrolled program that can alert you on your device similar to an Amber alert. Kwok also says that you should not always rely on tornado sirens to keep your families safe.

You can also always download Your Weather Authority app . It offers real-time notifications for all weather watches and warnings issued for your location.

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