Indiana Dispatchers Suspended over Silent Tornado Sirens

Two dispatchers in Dubois County have been suspended after the county’s tornado warning sirens failed to sound during a February EF-2 tornado.

Dubois County Communications Director Janice Love told WEHT-TV that the sirens were never activated because the National Weather Service didn’t alert dispatchers until the twister was already in the area.

She says by that time, the two dispatchers on duty were so busy answering calls that they did not hear the alert come across the computer and the warning sirens were not activated.

Both dispatchers were suspended for 15 days.

The tornado with winds reaching 120 mph caused heavy damage in Dubois County in southwestern Indiana.