New tornado warning sirens have been installed throughout the City of Sandy Springs. The sirens will be used to help alert citizens to severe weather.
The City completed installation of 8 tornado warning sirens last week. The sirens can be controlled remotely via radio. Sirens at strategic sites across the City will also have voice capabilities.
“The sirens are an additional layer in our multi-tiered approach in communicating emergency information to our citizens. Our systems are designed to overlap, so the community has more than one channel in which to receive emergency warnings,” said Sandy Springs City Manager John McDonough. “Residents monitoring an AM/FM radio or television can receive alerts through the Emergency Alert Sytem. Residents also can receive alerts via their telephone or mobile devides utilizing the city’s Code Red or Swift 911 alert systems. The addition of the sirens helps us better inform those who are outside in their yard, at the park or are driving around the city.”
The sirens will be activiated when the National Weather Service issues a tornado warning within the city limits, issues a severe thunderstorm warning with a tornado watch for Sandy Springs, or when a tornado is spotted or reported by a public safety official within the city. Public safety officials will audibly test the sirens on the first Wednesday of each month between 11 a.m. and noon, as recommended by the Georgia Emergency Management Association, and on State Tornado Awareness Day which occurs on Feburary 8 this year. Silent tests will occur daily to assure system readiness.
The tornado sirens are being paid for through a combination of grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) as well as local funds.
Photo is used under the Creative Commons license - Photo Credit: Flickr user +++CoolValley+++
Originally Published: Monday, February 06, 2012