City of Grand Rapids Pushes Back Tornado Siren Testing

The city of Grand Rapids was going to begin monthly testing on warning sirens this week, however, they've decided to push it back to May 1.

The postponed date is due to the COVID-19 crisis and the City’s desire to mitigate community anxiety.

The sirens are meant to alert citizens during tornados or severe weather warnings.

Traditionally, for Kent County and Grand Rapids, they always schedule the testing for the first Friday in April. Once the siren testing begins on May 1 it will continue once a month, on the first Friday, until October at noon.

The City Manager says if the siren were to go off in a real scenario it would be due to imminent danger and people should take shelter in the lowest level of a building.

You should not hear any sirens prior to May 1. If you do, take cover because that means it's a real warning.

The City Manager also says since most people are currently stuck at home it would be a good time to practice and plan with your families how you would handle a real tornado/severe weather warning.

You can find more info and some tips on how to be prepared here.