What would you do in the event of a major flood, man-made disaster, power outage, toxic spill, or health-related quarantine?  Could you survive on your own for the first 72 hours after a major disaster or emergency? 

The 72 Crew Awareness and Preparedness campaign is dedicated to helping you and your family Be Prepared . . . Not Scared. Click on Get Involved to learn how your community can be 72 Crew Certified.

Some cities employ an Emergency Warning System (EWS), which is an outdoor, all-hazards siren system that is used to warn the general population of a potential danger in a short amount of time and to notify them that the emergency has passed.

What Do the Sirens Mean?
The system uses two siren tones only. When they are activated during an emergency, the sirens will be activated for 3 minutes.

• Alert: An up-and-down, rising and falling tone to signify an emergency alert. This signal may be used to signify a major emergency or disaster, including a severe storm, tornado warning (not a tornado watch), earthquake, chemical hazard/hazardous material incident, extreme winds, biological hazard or event.
• All Clear: A flat, level tone to signify that the emergency event or conditions have passed and there is no immediate or direct threat to the community.

Siren Test:
Know when your city performs a monthly siren test to ensure all sirens are functioning.

What Should I Do if I Hear the Sirens?
If the sirens are activated - and it is not during the monthly 30-second siren test - the public should see it as a signal to:

• Seek shelter
• Tune into radio or television to get information about:
  • Type of Emergency
  • Instructions & Recommendations
• Wait for the All Clear

The public should not call 9-1-1 unless they have an actual emergency.