BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
I’m North Omaha Neighborhood Reporter Melissa Wright, reporting from Florence, where a false storm siren early Monday morning left residents confused and on edge.
The siren started blaring during overnight storms—around 2:30 a.m., according to a neighbor new to Omaha. He says he slept through the earlier ones but the 5:00 a.m. siren, got his attention.
"So do I need to leave, do I need to go to the basement, do I need to go to a tunnel?There was no additional advice anywhere, so I actually then did what you’re probably not supposed to do, I walked outside. It was just a light sprinkle, not even as much wind as we’re having right now," said Bill Lawler.
This marks the second false activation of the county’s newly installed outdoor warning system. Douglas County Emergency Management later confirmed that the siren in Florence was likely struck by lightning, triggering a malfunction that caused it to sound without a tornado warning in effect.
