Oregon tornado siren malfunctions again, EMA awaits inspection

OREGON, Ohio (WTVG) - Some people in Oregon didn’t hear the tornado sirens during the monthly tornado siren test in Lucas County.

One siren that didn’t sound during last Sunday’s tornado warning still isn’t fixed

If you were on Stadium Road by Grisell Road you may have heard a tornado siren but it wasn’t the one at the corner making that sound. That’s because that siren did not sound during Friday’s monthly noon test.

“The siren’s right there,” said Oregon resident Rick Ammerman whose home neighbors the siren. “It’s obvious it’s our first warning.”

“It’s not an old siren, it’s kinda a newer siren. It’s not like the ones we had in Toledo during the civil defense days,” said Ammerman who also claims the siren has not been working for months. “You expect something like that to work.”

It was one of the sirens Lucas County EMA identified as malfunctioning during last weekend’s tornado warning. Another in Jerusalem Township was also identified as malfunctioning, however, worked during the Friday afternoon tests, as did many others in the county like one at Bennett Park in Toledo.

Lucas County EMA tells the I-Team that they did get a handful of calls from people Friday afternoon, mostly people who were indoors and these sirens are only meant to be an outdoor notification when they work.

“I’m hoping we get a fix. We’ve had two tornados here in the last couple of weeks,” said Ammerman.

Lucas County EMA says they’re waiting for the vendor to come out for an inspection and diagnose the problem. Officials say they are not aware of the schedule for the vendor to get out and inspect.

These sirens are meant to be one way to warn you about possibly damaging weather. There are also weather radios, text alerts, and mobile apps like the 13 Action News First Alert weather to also keep locals informed on the weather. And of course, all tornado warnings for their duration are tracked live on 13 Action News.

Recent tornado-related coverage by Shaun Hegarty:

See a spelling or grammar error in our story? Please include the title when you click here to report it.

Copyright 2023 WTVG. All rights reserved.