Emergency communication system
161 people were killed and at least 990 injured when an EF5 multiple-vortex tornado hit Joplin, Missouri. Because Joplin is located in a tornado-heavy area of the country, many people considered the tornado sirens routine and ignored them. Instead, many residents waited until they received confirmation from another, non-routine, source, such as seeing the tornado, a radio or TV report, or hearing a second siren. In the aftermath, an assessment team recommended that emergency warnings take risk perception into account to convey a sense of urgency. NOAA Officials are considering ways to change the warning system to distinguish smaller tornadoes from more deadly ones.
Tornado outbreak of November 14–16, 2011
Widespread tornado activity was initially not expected on November 16th. However, a series of supercell thunderstorms developed across the South and produced multiple tornadoes. Tornadoes began touching down across Alabama that afternoon and moved eastward. One long track tornado touched down in Auburn, Alabama and tracked across the Georgia state line into the Hamilton area. This tornado caused EF2 damage in Auburn, Opelika, and Hamilton. A killer tornado later touched down near Rock Hill, South Carolina, and caused severe damage and 3 fatalities. Another destructive EF2 tornado touched down east of Linwood, North Carolina, where numerous homes and businesses were destroyed, 2 people were killed, and numerous people were trapped in destroyed structures and required rescue. A total of 12 tornadoes touched down this day.