Rick G

Nice, thank you for doing that.

I want to edit the video and include more of your comments and more of the pictures. I am able to compare the Joplin area with the Wyoming valley area, both are similar in size population wise.

I truely belive that if everyone does a little bit to help, you will have more help than you can imagine.

Sirens can make several different tones depending off if they are computerized or mechanical. The sirens in Joplin are mechanical, so they can make three tones:

Steady

Up and down

Fast up and down

Steady is an old cold war tone meaning "alert", you know, be on alert something is possible... such as if a tornado warning is issued based on radar per se, then "steady" should be "attention everyone"

Up and down, or fast up and down, which during the cold war meant "attack", or an attack is imminent or occurring. So, if a tornado is spotted or reported the "attack/up and down" tone should be sounded on the sirens. Merrill Wisconsin does this apparently, in all the videos of the tornado from May 2011, or maybe April, whenever that MDT/PDS watch "busted" in WI, that city of Merrill did a steady tone when the warning went out, then as the tornado was moving into the city they did the up and down tone.

Computerized sirens have a wide variety of tones, maybe six or more, plus voice capabilities. Sometimes in cities with talking computer tornado sirens it will be a high-low tone followed by a message "tornado warning seek shelter immediately" it's pretty creepy.

We put in somethinhg similar at the school I work at. wehave canned warnings and can create our own warnings on the fly.

I have been working on raising funds though my church this week. I put together some of the pictures and video that I found here and else where. I used the accounts of Jomo and Joplinmet (with their permissions) to put together a short video.

We take a special offering for disasters. during my presentation, my wife and my daughter witnessed a lady who took a $10 bill out of her wallet and after the presentation she put back the $10 bill and pulled out $100 bill. the biggest reaction I received was for the before and after pictures of the apartment complex.

Hindsight being 20/20, I would make two new requirments for the rebuilt homes. A safe room (underground) and a working SAME radio. I don't know how many times my SAME Radio alerted us to potental storms.

I am amazed that the death toll isn't much higher. Right now about 1500 people are still missing. I would consider it a miracle if the death toll is less than 500.

Any word from Jomo?