When the Sirens Were Silent

by Mike Smith

Overview

As a wedding, a high school graduation, and shopping trips were in progress, an invisible monster storm was developing west of Joplin, Missouri. When it arrived, many were caught unaware.

One hundred sixty-one perished and one thousand were injured. "When the Sirens Were Silent" is the gripping story of the Joplin tornado. It recounts that horrible day and what went wrong with the storm warning system with a goal of insuring this does not happen again.

The book is dedicated to the People of Joplin.

The book gives you the tools you need to keep yourself and your family safe. Included are clever lift-out copies of the latest tornado safety rules for homes, schools, and offices.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940014433211
Publisher:	Mennonite Press, Mike Smith Enterprises, LLC
Publication date:	05/15/2012
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	65
Sales rank:	431,176
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Mike Smith has been passionate about weather and saving lives since he was five years old. A major tornado moved through his neighborhood and destroyed his kindergarten which set the course for the rest of his life.

After being a television meteorologist in St. Louis, Oklahoma City, and Wichita, Mike founded WeatherData, Inc. in 1981. It quickly became the leading company in the field of business-to-business warnings of extreme weather.

Mike sold the assets of WeatherData to AccuWeather Enterprise Solutions in 2006 and has stayed on as Senior Vice President and Chief Innovation Executive.

In addition to his business acumen, Mike is a certified consulting meteorologist and a Fellow of the American Meteorological Society. In 1992, he received the Society's highest award in the field of applied meteorology for his work in creating innovative storm warning techniques. In 2000, WeatherData won the highest award for corporate meteorology for its outreach to government and academic meteorologists. AccuWeather received the same award for corporate meteorology in 2011.

Mike is a frequent public speaker across the United States.

In addition to his books, "When the Sirens Were Silent" and "Warnings: The True Story of How Science Tamed the Weather," Smith has written numerous scientific and technical articles about weather and applied weather science. He is also a published photographer and is the inventor on 19 U.S. and foreign patents.

Mike is married, the father of three grown children, and resides in Wichita.

Editorial Reviews

The book, a quick read, is a stirring call to action to improve tornado warning communication in this country.

Smith provides a gripping countdown of the events leading up to the tornado, critiquing the series of decisions and actions from forecasters and emergency management and describing their consequences. His commentary is insightful and written plainly enough for the layperson to understand.

Smith’s latest contribution is an important one.

Jason Samenow

This is a must-read book for anyone interested in weather, but, even more importantly, to anyone living in tornado regions!

Roger Pielke, Sr.

Smith offers an account of the storm timing and the warning failure and what can be done to prevent such a tragedy again. I read the book on the anniversary of the Joplin tornado – which the book uses as it’s main focus. It’s a minute by minute countdown of the events leading up to the tornado. In the book, Smith critiques the series of decisions and actions from National Weather Service forecasters and emergency management. The book is an overdue call to action.

Amy Freeze