There will be more than a few bleary-eyed people in the St. Louis area today after the early morning storms and tornado sirens that woke many of us.

Born and raised here in the Midwest, many people pay little attention to the storm sirens. I was often hit-or-miss myself, figuring it was doubtful a tornado would strike my little corner of the world.

But after my husband and I volunteered in Joplin -- less than a week after the May 22 tornado that killed 161 people and destroyed so much of that city -- I had a new respect for those tornado sirens.

So when I heard it sounding in my neighborhood around 3 a.m., we took ourselves and our two dogs down to the basement. About 30 minutes later, we went back upstairs. My husband and I both went outside to check out the piles of hail, then we went back to sleep.

(So far, it seems the area escaped any serious damage or injuries.)

When you hear the storm sirens, how do you respond? And has that response changed as your family did? I know some couples who would ignore sirens -- until they had children. Then they packed up everyone and headed for safety.