Every Michigander is well practiced at sheltering in the basement or a windowless room when the siren sounds. Tornados are the most common weather scenario for which the National Weather Service uses sirens, but that same blaring outdoor warning siren can warn of any extreme wind event.

Dangerous straight-line winds prompted a siren in the Lansing area on the afternoon of May 18, the first Monday of the summer semester. The National Weather Service sent a wireless emergency alert to all cell phones in the area, warning people to take shelter in a sturdy building, away from windows. LCC’s Building Emergency Response Team (BERT) also helped to guide students and employees to shelter areas, but the siren without a tornado caused some confusion.

Here’s what you need to know:

1. Ingham County sounds its outdoor warning siren when winds exceed 70 miles per hour, whether the winds are spinning or not. These dangerous speeds create flying debris, damage roofs and windows, and sometimes overturn mobile homes and high-profile vehicles.
   
   
2. Follow instructions when you receive any sort of extreme weather notification. You might hear a siren, receive an automated wireless emergency alert on your phone, or get a text or phone call from LCC’s emergency alert system, and the alerts might instruct you to seek shelter or move away from windows. Do not wait for further information from LCC or another body; follow the instructions.
   
   
3. The initial weather notification will include a time that the warning expires. Unless the warning is extended, you will not receive a second message. Once the expiration time passes, you can resume normal activities.

For more information on emergency preparedness at LCC, please review LCC’s Emergency Management Department webpage.