Storm damage at Newcastle Elementary School in the early morning hours on Sunday had school officials meeting later that day at the administration building to determine what would come next.
Newcastle Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Cathy Walker said there was some roof damage to the elementary school, and administration was assessing the damage to that site and across the district. Before 4 p.m. Sunday, they had a plan for elementary students to go to virtual days on Monday and Tuesday.
A flurry of activities was underway at the elementary school on Sunday morning with a crew from Oklahoma Electric Cooperative on site along with personnel from Phoenix Restoration Services.
Social media was abuzz in the early morning hours Sunday with residents complaining that they either did not hear Newcastle storm sirens, or the sirens sounded only after the tornado weather had already gone through the area. Further confusion may have resulted from the Daylight Saving Time change as it was underway at about the same time as clocks were falling back one hour. Area residents noted on social media that the National Weather Service alerts were late and confusing with the storms already on top of them.
TORNADO: Don’t just rely on outdoor sirens; have multiple ways to receive notifications
McClain County Emergency Management noted that the storms Sunday morning “over-performed just about everyone’s expectations.”
They said, “Most important advice for the day is to ensure that you have multiple ways to receive warning notifications and take shelter when a warning is issued for your locations.”
A statement from Newcastle City Manager Kevin Self’s office said, “First and foremost, the City is thankful there were no injuries or fatalities associated with this morning’s tornado touchdown in Newcastle.”
He continued, “Emergency management personnel have always attempted to activate the City’s outdoor warning system and send out emergency alerts via Civic Ready when a tornado warning is issued for Newcastle and surrounding areas, and will continue to do so. Emergency management’s policy, in a perfect scenario, is to activate tornado sirens and issue emergency alerts when a storm within 30 miles of Newcastle city limits has been tornado-warned. However, anyone who has lived in Oklahoma for any length of time understands that is not always possible.
“Tornadoes are not always associated with a single, supercell storm. Sometimes tornadoes spin up rapidly along a squall line making it difficult to activate sirens and issue emergency alerts according to policy. If a tornado warning is issued once the storm is on top of Newcastle, it becomes even more difficult. Emergency management personnel receive basic training to interpret radar data associated with storms, but they are not meteorologists. Like any other city, Newcastle relies on the expertise of some of the best meteorologists in the country, right here in Oklahoma.
“As the experts will tell you, it is extremely important to have multiple ways of receiving severe weather alerts (see related blurb from Emergency Management on page 1), including tornado warnings.”
Self’s office said do not rely solely on outdoor warning systems to notify you of an emergency weather situation.
“There are many factors that can prevent you from hearing the outdoor warning system including being inside the house, noise inside the home, wind direction and speed, storm noise, and other outdoor ambient noise. Outdoor warning systems are designed to warn individuals who are outside. Every storm siren has an alert radius of approximately one-mile. A strong wind can cut that distance in half.”
The City Manager’s office said Newcastle currently has six storm sirens in different locations around the city. It is the City’s intention to continue making improvements going forward.
“The City has applied for a FEMA grant for three additional sirens. A third party study is being conducted to determine the most optimal locations for the new sirens,” the statement reads. “However, with an alert radius of approximately one-mile for each siren, it is currently not feasible to install storm sirens to cover all 64 square-miles of Newcastle. Residents are strongly encouraged to embrace other methods of receiving severe weather alerts; research and download preferred weather alert phone apps, and/or purchase a weather radio.”
The statement concludes by saying, “Newcastle Emergency Management will continue to serve the community by providing emergency notifications via Civic Ready, activating the City’s outdoor warning system, and providing a safe refuge at the community shelter when necessary.”
