As Northeast Kansans drift steadily into May, our biggest month for tornadoes, Shawnee County still has warning sirens that aren't working. If that makes you think you can't depend on the sirens, county officials say you shouldn't depend on them in the first place.

For the second time in two weeks, some in Shawnee County heard silence during the weekly test of the warning system. Last week, a computer problem prevented a signal from going out to the sirens.

"Now we know that the signal's being broadcast," said Shawnee County Emergency Management Director Dave Sterbenz, "but for some reason this week, 12 of the sirens didn't accept the signal."

Roberta Kraus lives across the street from this siren at 28th and Indiana, one that officials initially thought did not sound Monday.

"I heard 'em twice," Kraus said.

She and many other residents in this neighborhood say they heard it loud and clear.

"I wondered why the second went off later," she said.

That's just part of the trouble with the sirens. A small minority of the newer ones report back to officials to confirm they sounded. Most do not. Officials must rely on reports from the community to make sure the older ones are working and there are a lot of them.

Monday, I asked Sterbenz if the people of Shawnee County were safe.

"I think the people of Shawnee County are safe," he replied, "but like I've been saying all along and have always said, people must have a weather radio with a good battery back-up."

Another advantage of the weather radio is that they are in your home and they don't have to compete with the natural sound outside.

"The county certainly hasn't looked at doing away with the sirens, but my opinion as the director is that people and businesses need to have weather radios so they can be really safe," Sterbenz said.

The county tests its sirens every Monday at noon. If you do not hear the test, call the county at (785)368-2200