"Washington Post's" Capital Weather Gang Reviews "When the Sirens Were Silent"

The entire review is here. Some excerpts:

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.

The book’s conclusion provides a cogent discussion of the importance of advancing technology, training, and messaging to improve the warning process.

Over the last few decades, we have learned a lot about tornadoes and successfully introduced measures to prepare for and respond to them. Tornado-related deaths have trended down as a result. Smith’s first book, “Warnings” details this success story.

But the surge in tornado fatalities in 2011 shows we remain vulnerable. Smith’s latest contribution is an important one for motivating renewed conversation and actions for improving the delivery of tornado warnings and what’s in them.

And, I see that Amazon has run out again. There is already a shipment on the way that should be there tomorrow or Thursday and we are in the process of sending even more books to Amazon right now.