At approximately 10 a.m. on July 15, Aurora’s Outdoor Warning Siren (OWS) system malfunctioned and the sirens activated on their own without any human prompting. The Aurora Emergency Management Agency (AEMA) was promptly made aware of the malfunction and took immediate action to stop the system error and notify the public. By 10:35 a.m. the system was interrupted and turned to manual mode stopping the activation of the sirens. This is an ongoing investigation into the cause of the error.
AEMA Coordinator, Natalie Wiza states, “We take great care and pride in offering our Outdoor Warning Siren system to Aurora as this is unique to our community. Many local jurisdictions do not offer this public safety service.” The system is tested on the first Tuesday of every month at 10:00am per state law.
In the event the system should sound at any other time, AEMA reminds the community of the appropriate use and activating authority of the system during severe weather.
The OWS system is intended to notify Aurorans of immediate danger to life in the event of a confirmed severe thunderstorm or tornado warning as issued by the National Weather Service and authorized by the Emergency Management Coordinator.
Aurora’s OWS system is not activated for every storm and will only be activated under the following conditions:
- Notification from the National Weather Service indicating a confirmed: • Severe thunderstorm warning with winds of 80 miles per hour or greater and/or multiple confirmed tornados throughout the entire storm prior to entrance into Aurora. • Tornado warning or a confirmed tornado in our area.
- A trained and recognized AEMA weather spotter has detected rotation over or approaching Aurora.
- AEMA has identified radar indicated conditions.
- Multiple public reports with information confirmed by AEMA.
When the OWS system is activated during a severe weather situation, Aurorans will hear a three to five-minute steady siren tone. Coordinator Wiza reminds Aurora, “This tone is NOT intended to be heard indoors and it is intended to alert individuals that are outside to move indoors and tune to local radio or television news sources for more information.”
The incident this morning was a non-human error and we are diligently working to identify the cause and a solution. AEMA can still sound the OWS system in the event the listed conditions are met and will continue to keep Aurora safe. Coordinator Wiza applauds the community’s assistance with this morning’s error, “In an emergency or disaster, information sharing is key to a successful response and the community came together to inform us of the situation.”
The Aurora community is also encouraged to text your zip code to 888777 and sign up for the Aurora Alert to receive real-time alerts for local emergency situations.
For further information, please contact AEMA at ema@aurora.il.us or 6302565800.
— City of Aurora government Emergency Management