Dusty Johnson: “on the night of May 30 a powerful tornado devastated the small community of Spencer, South Dakota. The tornado destroyed…”

“on the night of May 30 a powerful tornado devastated the small community of Spencer, South Dakota. The tornado destroyed ninety percent of the town, injured 150 people, and, most tragically, killed six South Dakotans. I am pleased to say the positive determination of the residents of Spencer to rebuild their lives has been inspirational and all of the surviving victims are making progress toward returning their lives to some semblance of normality. Unfortunately tornadoes are all too common in my state, however one aspect of the Spencer tornado caught my attention right away--that is the fact the warning siren did not sound because the electricity had been blown out. I recognize that the tornado which hit Spencer was so powerful that sounding a warning siren may not have spared the residents of Spencer the total destruction of their community. However, reports of the lack of a warning from the siren in Spencer prompted a statewide focus on the quality of the emergency alert capability around my state of South Dakota.”