Tornado Siren preparedness turns into a quiet rush in De Pere

At the De Pere Health Department, a small giveaway is drawing attention for a simple reason: a tornado siren cannot wake up a phone that has lost power. During Severe Weather Awareness Week, the city is handing out free NOAA weather radios to residents, hoping more households will have a backup when severe weather moves in.

The radios are available only to De Pere residents at 335 S. Broadway between 11 a. m. and 1 p. m. People need to show a driver’s license or utility bill. The city says the radios are going fast, so those who want one may need to arrive early.

Why is a Tornado Siren backup still important?

Officials are pairing the giveaway with a practical message: cell phones are useful, but they are not the only way to receive alerts. The weather radios can warn of a tornado or a blizzard and tell people when they need to take shelter. They are designed to keep working when the lights go out, which is part of the point during long-term outages.

Sara Lornson, deputy health officer with the De Pere Health Department, said the radios can run on batteries, solar power, or a hand crank. She said the multiple power options make them especially helpful if an outage lasts. The radios also include a port to charge cell phones, giving residents another layer of backup during severe weather.

What do residents get besides the radio?

Each radio comes with a preparedness guide that includes tips for making an emergency kit. That matters because the giveaway is not only about the device itself. It is also about reminding households to think through what they would need if weather turned dangerous and normal routines were interrupted.

Lornson said not everyone’s phones have the same alert capabilities, which is why the radios matter even for people who already rely on their devices. Her point reflects the larger message behind Severe Weather Awareness Week: alerts work best when households do not depend on one source alone.

How does this fit into a wider severe weather message?

The De Pere effort sits within a broader pattern of local preparedness, where agencies try to turn seasonal awareness into action. In this case, the city is using a free giveaway to encourage people to plan before severe weather arrives, rather than waiting until an alert is already sounding. For many residents, the weather radio may become the quiet device sitting on a counter or shelf until it is needed most.

That is also why the city is urging people to move quickly. The radios are expected to disappear fast, and the city is pointing residents toward major retailers and hardware stores, where similar weather radios are usually sold for about $25 to $35 if the free supply runs out.

What does the city want people to remember?

The message is direct: stay informed, keep a backup, and be ready to take shelter. In a severe weather event, the difference between hearing a warning and missing it can be measured in seconds. A tornado siren may alert a neighborhood, but a weather radio can keep doing its job when phones are down and power is unstable.

On 335 S. Broadway, the giveaway is more than a short line on a community calendar. It is a reminder that preparedness is often built from small decisions made early. For De Pere residents, that may mean picking up a free radio now, before the next storm makes the need feel urgent.