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TEMA outlines siren tones and OkWARN sign‑up for deaf and hard‑of‑hearing residents
Summary
The Tulsa Area Emergency Management Agency explained three outdoor siren tones and promoted Okay WARN, an Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management tool that sends weather and emergency notifications by pager, email or phone.
Joe Kralichek, identified as executive director of the Tulsa Area Emergency Management Agency (TEMA), explained the city’s outdoor warning sirens and a notification option for deaf and hard‑of‑hearing residents.
TEMA said Tulsa sirens use three sounds: a steady tone for tornadoes (and, in some cases, hazardous materials incidents), a tone the presentation described as for nuclear attack, and a tone to warn of possible flooding. Officials advised that the steady tornado tone means people should shelter immediately and follow local media.
The presentation promoted Okay WARN — a free notification tool offered by the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security — which automatically sends messages to enrolled participants when the National Weather Service issues an alert. The presentation directed residents to cityoftulsa.org/sirens and suggested downloading the Tulsa Ready app for more information.
Meteorologist Steve Pilz, who identified himself as the National Weather Service meteorologist in charge for Tulsa, also described the NWS role in issuing watches and warnings and encouraged residents to make plans based on watches and activate plans upon warnings.
