What We've Learned

There are changes ahead for the weather warning system in South Dakota and the state's ability to react to an emergency.

Just before the tornado hit Spencer, the warning siren was silenced when power to the community was cut.

• A new state-of-the-art warning system will be operational in Spencer by June, 1999. It runs on battery power and can be activated by local storm spotters.

Efforts started in a few weeks after the storm at the federal level to fund a weather radio network to cover much of South Dakota's population.

• Frank Scanlan and Paulett Cott - 3:51 "Rapid City is the only community in the state with backup power for it's warning system. Senator Tim Johnson says NOAA weather radio can be the most effective warning system, but only a few larger communities have the system. A 1994 plan to expand the system has been revived."

During his visit to Spencer in May 1999, Governor Janklow said progress is being made on the NOAA warning system.

• Governor Janklow - 1:21 "We're going to have it through most of the state. We're going to utilized many public broadcasting towers to help set the system up." 

The state's ability to react to an emergency is also changing.

• Governor Janklow - 2:52 "Our biggest problem was communications and we've already moved to fix it. We also have problems with 9-1-1 in South Dakota. There was no way for all the people involved in the first hours after the storm to talk to each other. We had more radio systems than they have ethnic groups in Yugoslavia. We also needed more lights and we will soon have enough emergency lights to light an entire community."

• Governor Janklow - 1:23 "We've inventoried every piece of heavy equipment the state owns to we can call upon them in a moments notice.

Some of the Spencer residents have learned how much closer they are to each other and that they need to look out for one another.

• Gary Phillips, Cathy Magneson and "Sam" Roberts - 1:17 "Some people that we're friends before are friends now. We are a lot closer and look out for each other. If you don' see someone for a day or two, you start to wonder what happened."

And the Governor says his lasting image of the event was of the spirit of the people in South Dakota.

• Governor Janklow - 2:49 "At one moment in time there were 23 ambulances lined up. The people absolutely went to work. I recall the generosity of people. I saw the real face of humanity has people came out to help each other."

Some residents learned that they did not have enough insurance. Others learned that they couldn't live anywhere else and are determined to rebuild the town that they call home.

Meet Joshua Wurman, a storm chaser that studied and witnessed the storm.

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