Attitude, decision-making, and behavior among a small group of citizens near the path of the Siren, Wisconsin tornado of 18 June 2001

A strong F-3 tornado devastated the northwest Wisconsin Village of Siren during the evening of 18 June 2001. The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a tornado watch, and severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings for Siren, but the emergency warning siren was inoperative. The survey team traveled to the disaster site several days after the tornado and surveyed the path of the tornado by ground and air. A field study utilizing a questionnaire helped in comprehending the nature of warnings and responses on the periphery of the tornado damage path. Administered through interviews, the standardized survey aided in gathering information on awareness, preparedness, monitoring of the developing extreme event, and perceptions of risk. The team identified common beliefs, behaviors, and attitudes for this "near miss" experience. Though this research utilized a small sample size of 30 individuals, it provided insight into people's responses to a relatively rare and dangerous event. The public should not rely exclusively on any one method of warning dissemination, especially one that may be vulnerable to electrical outages. While television is a very popular way of obtaining weather warnings, findings hint that NOAA weather radio remains a largely untapped and potentially successful resource if publicized properly in this part of the country.