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Three Rivers residents raise alarm about warning system after March EF2 tornado
Summary
Residents and staff praised first responders while several voiced concerns that the city’s tornado siren and public-warning performance fell short after an EF2 tornado on March 6; commissioners discussed after-action review and city staff outlined response steps.
Three Rivers residents told the City Commission on March 17 that the city’s warning and emergency response to the March 6 EF2 tornado needs review even as they praised first responders for rescue and recovery work.
Mayor Angel Johnston opened the meeting and city staff delivered an emergency management briefing on the storm response. Several residents said warning signals were inadequate: Blaine Edgell said “the tornado alarm only went off for a short time” and expressed concern about a lack of warning. Michael Yingling told the commission he believed the city’s tornado siren performance did not meet national standards.
Police Social Worker Bry Books said she was proud of how the city responded to storm damage; residents including Chris Abel and Lynn Hall McLeod thanked police and fire and urged an evaluation of response efforts to identify successes and areas for improvement. Sarah McCarthy reported receiving alerts from Michigan Storm Chasers and a PDS phone alert, and she provided an update on cleanup at the Hoffman Pond property.
At the meeting, commissioners acknowledged both the effectiveness of first responders and the need to examine warning-system performance and interagency notification. Lynn Hall McLeod specifically asked about the city’s disaster-related budget and available training opportunities and noted the absence of an emergency management representative at the session.
City Manager Joe Bippus and City Attorney TJ Reed discussed follow-up items: Reed said he would review related code matters and bring forward the International Property Maintenance Code for the commission’s consideration; Bippus noted statewide tornado testing planned for broader preparedness. The commission did not adopt any formal policy at the March 17 meeting but agreed to continue oversight of recovery and to consider after-action steps.
The meeting’s public remarks combined praise for responders with requests for clearer notification, more public education about alerts, and review of siren performance. The commission’s next steps include staff follow-up and possible future agenda items to address budget, training, and technical performance of warning systems.
