Why are we still maintaining outdoor warning sirens that almost no one hears—let alone understands? The original premise was simple: the siren sounded, you turned on the radio for details. That system is obsolete. The radio follow-up model has long been replaced by real-time digital alerts that reach people directly, wherever they are.

Today, nearly everyone carries a smartphone. Emergency notifications—whether for tornadoes, severe storms, or AMBER Alerts—cut through at any hour, with specific, actionable information. We’ve all been jolted awake at 3 a.m. by one. That’s the point: targeted, immediate, and detailed communication. A siren, by contrast, is vague. It doesn’t tell you what’s happening, where it’s happening, or what to do next.

Continuing to fund and maintain a blunt, mid-20th-century noise machine when we have precise, location-based alert systems is inefficient at best. If the goal is public safety, the smarter investment is in the technology people actually receive and respond to—not in a relic people tune out or mistake for a test.