GAINESVILLE - Hall County Fire Chief and Emergency Management Director David Kimbrell says another tornado season is here, and the county does not have enough warning sirens.
The county has eleven sirens, bought with funds made available after the March 1998 tornado that killed 13 people in the area.
Kimbrell said eleven sirens cannot cover the county's 430 square miles but the ones in place are located in populated areas to warn the most people at one time.
"We've asked this year in the budget to add some additional sirens because it is tornado season again," Kimbrell said.
Siren prices range from $10,000-$30,000; Kimbrell said the ones now in use in Hall cost around $14,000 and can be heard for about two miles. Kimbrell added he is also looking for grant funding but in the meantime, the best warning source is a weather radio and no warning is any good without an action plan.
"Our biggest thing is listening to the weather radio and having a plan before the tornado," Kimbrell said.
Hall County Commissioner Steve Gailey he wants the commission to consider buying more tornado warning sirens with sales tax funds. "We may look at putting some money in SPLOST (Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax), the next SPLOST, to take care of some these things," Gailey said.
Wednesday
October 16th, 2024
9:38PM
