NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- According to an I-Team report, thousands of Davidson County residents are outside the warning range of tornado sirens.

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This year, tornadoes destroyed countless homes and took a number of lives across the state. But 10 years ago, Nashville learned that deadly tornadoes can hit metropolitan cities.

The I-Team’s investigation shows that due to a population shift, thousands of people in Davidson County aren't covered by the sirens that many people consider a vital tool to warn of an approaching funnel. These residents live in what are called dead zones.

School children playing outside in the spring are perhaps the most vulnerable if a tornado should strike.

"What would you say if I told you your school isn't covered by a tornado siren?" reporter Jeremy Finley said.

"You're kidding, that's terrible; that's horrible. We need that out here for the safety of our children," said Kathy Bryan.

After Nashville saw widespread damage from tornadoes, the I-Team mapped out which areas are and aren't covered by tornado sirens in Davidson County. The I-Team’s findings stunned parents, teachers and principals.

"It's a big concern, and it's the safety of a lot of children," said Hermitage’s Ruby Major Elementary Principal Teresa Dennis.

The I-Team marked all of the county's 70 tornado sirens and drew a mile and a half radius around them, which is how far the sound of a siren travels.

According to the maps, most of Davidson County is covered. But in the county’s outer-lying areas, there are huge areas with no sirens at all.

The I-Team reported 10 schools in the dead zones, which includes West Meade Elementary.

"I had never heard it in the area," said West Meade Principal Steve Breece.

The same goes for Ruby Major Elementary in Hermitage.

"We have never heard the siren," said Dennis.

Ruby Major was built after Davidson County's tornado sirens were installed. Neither the school nor the new neighborhoods sprouting up around it are alerted by a siren.

"Every cow field is now a subdivision," Dennis said.

Part of the problem is that the number of tornado sirens hasn’t kept up with expanding neighborhoods.

Owen and his mother live in a new subdivision located in a dead zone. Sirens aren't designed to be heard inside homes, but in the spring, families are often outdoors in yards and neighborhoods.

The I-Team found an estimated 37,893 homes in Davidson County that are not covered by sirens, which is almost 20 percent of all homes in the county.

It’s particularly concerning for parent Adrienne Fleming because a siren could be her family’s only warning.

"We have satellite TV too, so often our satellite often goes out in a storm," she said.

So why isn't all of Davidson County covered? First of all, sirens can cost up to $20,000 each. After the 1998 tornadoes struck Nashville, the Metro Office of Emergency Management received a grant for 70 sirens and put them in place in 2001.

The 70 sirens were put in places only to warn people outdoors like in parks or stadiums. But that was seven years ago and no new sirens have been added since.

"We did our very best to look at the county as a whole, where our greatest population (is), to have adequate outdoor warning," said OEM spokeswoman Amanda Sluss.

More grant money would have to be obtained to get more sirens.

"When that money becomes available, we would definitely look at expanding our program in being able to have it in all those areas that perhaps weren't as heavily populated in 2001," Sluss said.

The siren situation is why emergency officials urge people to own weather radios. All Metro schools have the radios and keep them equipped with fresh batteries and in good working order in case the power suddenly goes out and no sirens are nearby to signal a warning. Emergency officials urged residents to do the same.

"Some of these storms come up so quickly that it would be awfully scary," Bryan said.