CodeRED Weather Alerts . . .

[memason]

Here we go again....another round of severe weather.

Although we are signed up for the Sumter County CodeRED alerts, they seem to be rather hit and miss. For instance, last week, my wife and I both got 3 warning calls. This was during the Wednesday afternoon storm. For the Thursday storms, neither of us received any calls, even though there was a Tornado Warning issued. Now today, with the Severe Thunderstorm Warning, I received a call and my wife nothing.

It's a great service, but doesn't seem very reliable. Is anyone else having the same sort of problem ???

[ajbrown]

The calls are to my Verizon wireless cell phone.

Exactly the same happened to me last week as what you describe. I received calls Wed, but none Thu. I did just (5 minutes ago) get a code red call regarding the severe T storm warning for today.

[pooh]

We got calls for the Wednesday storm to our cell phone while we were in NC. Just got two to our cell phone and one to our land line phone for today's weather. My weather radio has been going off loud and often today! I've got three counties coded for alert.

[kb8tpw]

Very very sporadic, at best. Should NOT be the case, but it appears they have contracted the job out and are not getting what the asked for. My land line and cell went off simultaneously this morning, so I'm running to different corners of the house.... But I DID get the call.

[maryjd1950]

I also got two calls to my home on Wednesday and nothing on thursday....strange to say the least..

[Tbugs]

My suggestion - in addition to having the phone alert - is to go to Wal-Mart and buy yourself a $30 emergency weather radio. They can easily be set by you for just your own county. Some people have the radios coded by the fire stations but that is not needed. Do it yourself. If you can program your DVR recorder, you can program the emergency weather radio.

The radio is plugged into a wall socket and also has a 9volt battery backup. It only sounds the alarm when there is a watch or warning for emergency weather such as heavy thunderstorm or tornado.

This a a very good thing to buy to supplement the phone alerts.

[maryjd1950]

yes, we already decided to do that, in case the power goes out...we lost our tv reception last week for a long time, so really weren't getting any updates....

[memason]

My suggestion - in addition to having the phone alert - is to go to Wal-Mart and buy yourself a $30 emergency weather radio. They can easily be set by you for just your own county. Some people have the radios coded by the fire stations but that is not needed. Do it yourself. If you can program your DVR recorder, you can program the emergency weather radio.

The radio is plugged into a wall socket and also has a 9volt battery backup. It only sounds the alarm when there is a watch or warning for emergency weather such as heavy thunderstorm or tornado.

This a a very good thing to buy to supplement the phone alerts.

Good advice... Have the weather radio too. But, I have a hard time hearing the weather radio, when I'm not at home... :D

It's a good idea to have both...I'd just like CodeRED to be a bit more reliable.

Cheers....

[red tail]

i live in a concrete block cyv with a tile roof that has passed wind mitgation tests and is as safe as one will find anywhere in the villages. so why would i want to be woke up in the middle of the night and be told there was a thunderstorm or tornado warning? i dont have a basement so why get woke up? id rather sleep through it.

[pooh]

i live in a concrete block cyv with a tile roof that has passed wind mitgation tests and is as safe as one will find anywhere in the villages. so why would i want to be woke up in the middle of the night and be told there was a thunderstorm or tornado warning? i dont have a basement so why get woke up? id rather sleep through it.


We'd all rather sleep through it, but the storms that we're alerted for could and do spawn tornados. Not sure if your house would stand up to one that might hit it directly, even though your walls are strong and your roof is rated for strong winds. Were you here for the one that struck a few years ago, early in the AM? Lots of homes lost, and even concrete block homes in the tornado path were pretty damaged. It isn't my intention to frighten anyone, but storms can be severe here and damage can take place. Lightning can also ignite house fires and has. This area is one of the most active lightning areas in the US.
http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r198/psylviaod/feb2007tornado3.jpg

[red tail]

We'd all rather sleep through it, but the storms that we're alerted for could and do spawn tornados. Not sure if your house would stand up to one that might hit it directly, even though your walls are strong and your roof is rated for strong winds. Were you here for the one that struck a few years ago, early in the AM? Lots of homes lost, and even concrete block homes in the tornado path were pretty damaged. It isn't my intention to frighten anyone, but storms can be severe here and damage can take place. Lightning can also ignite house fires and has. This area is one of the most active lightning areas in the US.
http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r198/psylviaod/feb2007tornado3.jpg

my point is if you get a call at 0300 that there is a tornado warning. are you going to stay up the rest of the night worrying? and when is the last time a house was struck by lightening and burned down"?

[Barefoot]

my point is if you get a call at 0300 that there is a tornado warning. are you going to stay up the rest of the night worrying? and when is the last time a house was struck by lightening and burned down"?

Redtail, some residents want to be warned so they can go to an interior room with no windows.

[pooh]

my point is if you get a call at 0300 that there is a tornado warning. are you going to stay up the rest of the night worrying? and when is the last time a house was struck by lightening and burned down"?

Doesn't matter when the last house burned down, it did. I believe at least 5 houses have burned since I've been here...could be a few more, I'm not positive. http://www.thevha.net/the-villages-voice?article=139&op=3&issue=9

Does seem annoying, but the alerts are issued by the national weather service and that's the way they are issued....a watch, then a warning. When the radio goes off, I turn on tv to see what the heck is happening. My weather radio is set for three counties so it goes off more than other ones set for only one county. Watching the tv will give me some idea about what's happening and I can either head off to sleep or get ready to duck and cover so to speak. I didn't have a weather radio when the tornado struck, but the bright flashes from the constant lightning woke me and tv was already on....it had been a day filled with watches so I decided to sleep with tv on so I could hear what might be going on. I awoke in time to hear Tony Manolfi from WESH announcing that "If you live in The Villages, take cover NOW!" It is indeed annoying to be awakened, but after that particular night, I'll just keep getting up, shutting off the alarm, checking on tv and then try to take a nap the next day... ;)

An acquaintance lived in a Lantana the night the tornado struck and suddenly, her roof fell in on her bed. Fortunately, she had just moved in the bed and pulled the covers over her head and was spared severe injury.

For me personally, I'd rather be safe than sorry. Coming from CA where earthquakes struck without warning, I appreciate the opportunity to at least try and protect my family.

[Niels]

I think Code Red is a great idea but have to agree that I'm a little disappointed in its reliability. I was really surprised that I did not receive any phone calls last Thursday. On other days, the phone calls that I have received about weather problems have sometimes been timely but on other days Code Red calls have arrived much later than the warnings that were issued by my weather radio. I only use Code Red as a backup to my weather radio or for those types of emergencies that are not weather related. For weather related emergencies, I rely on my weather radio.

[hedoman]

How do you get codeRed and what does it cost. I have a rather sophisticated early alert storm tracking device I use up here in PA for alerting golfers of impending storms. It tells me the ETA, range and speed. I will be bringing it when we move (soon) but always like backup i.e. radar etc.

Our house watcher reports no damage in the last 3 waves thank the Lord.

[memason]

How do you get codeRed and what does it cost. I have a rather sophisticated early alert storm tracking device I use up here in PA for alerting golfers of impending storms. It tells me the ETA, range and speed. I will be bringing it when we move (soon) but always like backup i.e. radar etc.

Our house watcher reports no damage in the last 3 waves thank the Lord.

This is the link to signup for CodeRED:

http://www.sumtercountysheriff.org/emergencymanagement/codered.asp

It's not a paid service, other than our taxes....

[NJblue]

I have a similar concern about the reliability of the weather radios. I have ours set up to only go off in the case of a tornado warning (I figure in the case of a watch there is really nothing that needs to be done). However, the last two warnings that were in our area the radio did nothing until well after the warning was lifted and THEN it started to beep.

[taylor111947]

I'm finding this a very interesting thread. I was in TV last week house hunting and was a little confused about all the storm warnings - especialy since I'm not very familiar with the area yet. I knew the tornado warning was for Sumter County and that I was IN Sumter county, but I wasn't sure of much more than that. I was wondering if there was any early warning system - like sirens and what other precautions and/or preparations I will need to consider. This is going to take a little getting used to for a northern gal where bad weather warnings are usually for snow and ice.

[pooh]

I'm finding this a very interesting thread. I was in TV last week house hunting and was a little confused about all the storm warnings - especialy since I'm not very familiar with the area yet. I knew the tornado warning was for Sumter County and that I was IN Sumter county, but I wasn't sure of much more than that. I was wondering if there was any early warning system - like sirens and what other precautions and/or preparations I will need to consider. This is going to take a little getting used to for a northern gal where bad weather warnings are usually for snow and ice.
When I moved here from the west coast I, too, wasn't used to severe weather warnings for wind, thunderstorms, tornados. It's an easy adjustment and a weather radio helps let you know what's on the way. The alarm might be registering for the particular county you have it set for, but the storm may not be near you. I've also got a map so I can look for where reports on tv are saying the weather is. Actually, I've learned of lots of new cities, towns, areas. Seems like everytime there is a warning, new places are mentioned. It's like a little Florida geography lesson!
Took a bit of getting used to the lightning and thunder here, but not too long....we had so very little of it where I lived in southern CA.

Good luck with your house hunt. It's tiring, but lots of fun and especially rewarding when you find just the right place. Enjoy.

[Niels]

taylor111947 - Here are my suggestions.

First -You should purchase a weather radio. I never owned one of these in upstate New York but have found it very handy for tornado watches and warnings here in Florida. You have to program the radio when you buy it. If you have any trouble programming it, the fire department will be happy to do it for you. The great thing about weather radios is that they turn themselves on when warnings/watches are posted in your area. This is great when you're sleeping and bad weather approaches.

Second - If you purchase (or rent) in Sumter County, you should sign up for Code Red. They will call your phone and play a recorded message when bad weather is imminent in your area.

Third - The local radio station is a good source of information in times of bad weather. Also, if you have Comcast cable TV, you can turn on Channel 99 which has radar pictures of the area and plays the radio station in the background.

Fourth - You need to designate a "Safe" room in your house. This is the room you would go to in the event of a tornado in your area. This should be an interior room (No exterior walls) and no windows. Most people choose a bathroom or laundry room. Because my laundry room and both bathrooms have exterior walls with windows, I chose a walk in closet next to my master bedroom.

Fifth - You should read information online concerning tornado and hurricane preparedness. You need to prepare hurricane preparedness supplies (bottled water, canned food, flashlights, extra batteries, first aid kit, etc). You can find lists of what you need online.

After you do all this, then just relax and have fun in The Villages.

[Schaumburger]

We'd all rather sleep through it, but the storms that we're alerted for could and do spawn tornados. Not sure if your house would stand up to one that might hit it directly, even though your walls are strong and your roof is rated for strong winds. Were you here for the one that struck a few years ago, early in the AM? Lots of homes lost, and even concrete block homes in the tornado path were pretty damaged. It isn't my intention to frighten anyone, but storms can be severe here and damage can take place. Lightning can also ignite house fires and has. This area is one of the most active lightning areas in the US.
http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r198/psylviaod/feb2007tornado3.jpg

Pooh,

Do you know which village this house was located in shown in this photo of the tornado damage from a few years ago?

[pooh]

Pooh,

Do you know which village this house was located in shown in this photo of the tornado damage from a few years ago?

I honestly don't know what village it was, but I do recognize that it was a Lantana. The picture was posted in The Daily Sun and was one of many published after the storm. Mom in law was living in Sabal Chase at the time of the storm and we drove down to check on her.....on the corner of Canal and O'Dell Circle, villas there had been hit. The concrete wall around the homes was damaged. Wasn't a pretty sight, but luckly no one here in TV was injured.

[Schaumburger]

I honestly don't know what village it was, but I do recognize that it was a Lantana. The picture was posted in The Daily Sun and was one of many published after the storm. Mom in law was living in Sabal Chase at the time of the storm and we drove down to check on her.....on the corner of Canal and O'Dell Circle, villas there had been hit. The concrete wall around the homes was damaged. Wasn't a pretty sight, but luckly no one here in TV was injured.

Pooh, Thanks for the info. Scary stuff. Chicago area temp. is predicted to hit 80 degrees this Sunday :MOJE_whot:. and already the weather forecasters in Chicago are telling us to watch for possible tornados on Sunday afternoon/evening.

[English Ivy]

This home could have also been in Mallory or Caroline. There was a lot of damage there.

There are some photos of Mallory CC the morning after it was hit posted in my album; check them out. Scary stuff!

Schaumburger, I have gone through more tornado warnings since I've been in Florida (4 years) than I experienced in 20 plus years in Wisconsin.

[Schaumburger]

This home could have also been in Mallory or Caroline. There was a lot of damage there.

There are some photos of Mallory CC the morning after it was hit posted in my album; check them out. Scary stuff!

Schaumburger, I have gone through more tornado warnings since I've been in Florida (4 years) than I experienced in 20 plus years in Wisconsin.

English Ivy -- Been to Wisconsin many times. One of my sisters and her family live in Mineral Point, about 45 miles S.W. of Madison. My niece is a sophomore at Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison. Go Badgers. Northwest suburbs of Chicago where I live don't get a lot of tornadoes, fortunately. Southwest suburbs of Chicago seem to get more.

[Schaumburger]

This home could have also been in Mallory or Caroline. There was a lot of damage there.

There are some photos of Mallory CC the morning after it was hit posted in my album; check them out. Scary stuff!

Schaumburger, I have gone through more tornado warnings since I've been in Florida (4 years) than I experienced in 20 plus years in Wisconsin.

English Ivy, Once I figured out how to check someone's photo allbum I just checked out your tornado photos of Mallory CC. Scary. Do you live in or near Mallory CC? I'm such a novice at posting photos on my PC and e-mailing photos. This week I had to e-mail some photos to a customer at work, and I had to ask a co-worker for help with this. Which is kind of embarrassing in this day and age. :sigh:

[Russ_Boston]

my point is if you get a call at 0300 that there is a tornado warning. are you going to stay up the rest of the night worrying? and when is the last time a house was struck by lightening and burned down"?

The smallest bathroom might be best protection so yes, wake me up, and I'll stay there until the all clear.

There have been several homes in the past three years that have burned to the ground from lightning.

I think at least one thousand homes (and villas!) were damaged in the groundhog day 2007 twisters. Only minor injuries in TV but a dozen or so fatalities in Lady Lake.

http://www.wftv.com/slideshow/news/10911809/detail.html?qs=;s=1;w=480


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Groundhog_Day_tornado_outbreak

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32f1r_RWUm8&feature=fvwrel

[Bogie Shooter]

The smallest bathroom might be best protection so yes, wake me up, and I'll stay there until the all clear.

There have been several homes in the past three years that have burned to the ground from lightning.

I think at least one thousand homes (and villas!) were damaged in the groundhog day 2007 twisters. Only minor injuries in TV but a dozen or so fatalities in Lady Lake.
http://www.wftv.com/slideshow/news/10911809/detail.html?qs=;s=1;w=480


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Groundhog_Day_tornado_outbreak

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32f1r_RWUm8&feature=fvwrel

Russ,
Not to be pickey but.......the article says there were 8 fatalities in the Lady Lake area.

[Russ_Boston]

Russ,
Not to be pickey but.......the article says there were 8 fatalities in the Lady Lake area.

that was from memory so I stand corrected.

my point was that tornadoes are not to be taken lightly regardless of construction value of home.

[pooh]

The smallest bathroom might be best protection so yes, wake me up, and I'll stay there until the all clear.

There have been several homes in the past three years that have burned to the ground from lightning.

I think at least one thousand homes (and villas!) were damaged in the groundhog day 2007 twisters. Only minor injuries in TV but a dozen or so fatalities in Lady Lake.

http://www.wftv.com/slideshow/news/10911809/detail.html?qs=;s=1;w=480


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Groundhog_Day_tornado_outbreak

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32f1r_RWUm8&feature=fvwrel

Thanks for posting the video, Russ.....that showed why I have a weather alert radio. I might not be able to protect my home, but I might be able to protect myself.

[Niels]

Thanks for posting the video, Russ.....that showed why I have a weather alert radio. I might not be able to protect my home, but I might be able to protect myself.

Yes. I agree. I also have a weather radio to protect my wife and I. As for protecting the house, well I guess that's what homeowner's insurance is for.

The video that Russ posted showed a lot of destruction. I hope we never
have another tornado like that in The Villages!

[Russ_Boston]

As I look at that path that the tornado took I realize that it went right over my Buttonwood house (which was just dirt back then) on its way through Poinciana and eventually Mallory.