ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — In the suburbs of Eureka in St. Louis County, Laura Tucker is confused and afraid. She prays her iPhone will warn her before a tornado strikes.
“We used to get alerts on our phone, like the Amber Alert sound, the really loud alert when there was a tornado warning. But that stopped happening," said Tucker.
The I-Team discovered she’s not alone. Viewers have complained of the same thing. So have her neighbors.
"So what's your biggest fear?” asked Senior Investigative Reporter Paula Vasan.
“A tornado will come in the middle of the night and people won't wake up," said Tucker.
Tech giant Apple has guidelines on how iPhone users can check their settings and enable location services for weather notifications. Once set, Apple says the preferences don’t need to be reset after a software update.
We checked Tucker’s phone and switched one of her settings, making sure her Weather app is “Always” tracking her location, not just when the app is open. She hopes that helps, but questions why she used to get alerts, with her phone ringing and buzzing.
“Where's the breakdown? And why did it stop?” said Tucker.
Emergency management officials tell the I-Team there could be many factors at play. From user settings to problems with cell service, pinpointing the exact cause is crucial to ensuring the safety of residents in tornado-prone areas.
Tucker fears she’ll sleep through the next siren that blares outside in her neighborhood. She wants better warnings by the device that’s near her 24/7.
"A lot of people don't even have their phone volume up. And a text is not going to wake somebody up in the middle of the night," she said.
RECOMMENDATIONS
A spokesperson with the National Weather Service tells the I-Team people should have multiple ways to get weather warnings, because technology can fail. Make sure emergency alerts are enabled on your phone. Download weather apps. And get a NOAA Weather Radio. It’ll stay silent when you’re sleeping and alert you when there’s a tornado warning in your area. Susan Buchanan, a spokesperson with the National Weather Service, told us in an email: “The Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) system is owned and operated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the alerts are a service provided to customers by the cellular companies. The WEA system is not connected to tornado sirens, which are operated by local authorities."
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The Federal Emergency Management Agency has an app which allows you to plug in up to five locations to help with Alerts and Warnings. It would be a push notification on your phone.
A spokesperson with the St. Louis County Emergency Management Agency said you can register for the new St. Louis County Office of Emergency Management alerts and receive important weather and emergency alerts via text message. You can text SLCOEM to 78015 and receive important weather and emergency notifications.
A spokesperson with St. Louis City’s Emergency Management Agency told us in an email: “This process of Wireless Emergency Alerts is not something we have a great deal of oversight on at the local level. I have the capability to issue such an alert in the City of St. Louis, but that very rarely happens. The tornado warning WEA messages are initiated by the National Weather Service, and Amber Alerts are issued by the MO Highway Patrol… WEA messages are issued through cell towers to phones connected in the area. Services can vary by cell provider, depending on who someone has service with."
iPhone user guides on managing weather notifications:
Turn on weather notifications
Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > Weather, then tap Always.
Turn on Precise Location to receive the most accurate notifications for your current location.
Open the Weather app on your iPhone, then tap the three vertical dots to display your weather list.
Tap the three horizontal dots, then tap Notifications. If prompted, allow notifications from the Weather app.
Below Current Location, turn on notifications for Severe Weather and Next-Hour Precipitation (green is on).
Tap Done.
Turn on weather notifications for locations in your weather list
Open the Weather app on your iPhone.
Tap the three vertical dots to display your weather list.
Tap the three horizontal dots, then tap Notifications. If prompted, allow notifications from the Weather app.
Below Your Locations, tap a location, then turn on notifications for Severe Weather and Next-Hour Precipitation (green is on).
Tap Done.
Source: Apple
On Android:
You can also customize these settings usually by searching for "alerts" or "emergency" in the settings area on your phone.
If you want to get in touch with Paula, leave a voice message on 314-444-5231 or email her directly at pvasan@ksdk.com.