No Warning, No Siren in Oklahoma Tornado

Officials say no tornado sirens warned residents in Quapaw of the imminent danger of the storm because a tornado warning was never issued for the county.

According to state emergency management officials, sirens warning residents are usually sounded when a tornado warning is issued for the county. Because the tornado that hit Quapaw, killing one person and sending six to the hospital, materialized so quickly on the radar, a warning was not issued in time.

Sirens were not sounded during or after the storm because the siren in the town was blown away by the tornado, officials said.

Local authorities are working with state and national weather officials to investigate the matter.