A glitch in the triggering process of Blissfield’s tornado early warning system caused the village’s two remote sirens to remain silent during the critical minutes before the tornado touched down only 10 miles away in the early morning hours Sunday, June 6. The main siren at the fire station was activated and was audible to residents near the center of town.
As a result, many Blissfield residents did not hear the steady three- to five-minute uninterrupted wail of the siren that signals the sighting of a funnel cloud in the immediate area.
When reports from citizens of the malfunction surfaced the next day, Blissfield Township Fire Chief Gary Crist went to inspect the two remote sirens, one at the American Legion Post on the west side of town and one at Blissfield Manufacturing on the south side, both were found to be functional and to have full power.
