Tornado Sirens Have All But Disappeared In Metro Areas
By Rick McCann
Blue RAM Media/Gulf Coast News
June 22, 2026
SPANISH FORT, Ala. Once again, during severe weather last week, residents of several communities including Spanish Fort, wondered if there were tornado sirens still in operations.
In many communities such sirens were used for outdoor workers, farmers, schools and the general community but today’s noise, building construction and our lifestyles often defeat the purpose of these once important devices and have made them mostly obsolete.
In Spanish Fort, like other communities, they previously decided to retire these air horns as many people had already been using the latest weather apps on their phones and computer devices according to Mayor Brad Bass.
Today, there are many other ways of being alerted including the NOAA weather radios, alerts on TV and radio, cellphone apps and local EMA , while the outside alerting systems have almost all been eliminated.
Mayor Bass stated that a system of 10-12 sirens placed throughout the city could cost over a million dollars.
The Baldwin County Emergency Management Agency advices residents to always use multiple devices to receive weather information to ensure that you receive the latest emergency alerts.
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