CLARKESVILLE - While Habersham County emergency personnel say they could use dozens of weather sirens in the county, they are thankful to have the four they have, and they are very happy to have two more on the way.
Lynn Smith is the EMA/E-911 director, and she said she was able to order two more sirens thanks to a matching grant from GEMA. The two sirens should arrive and be operational in the next month.
One will be placed on Hwy. 17 where the Ruby Fulbright Aquatic Center and the county ballfields are located.
"We felt like that would be an area where people could not listen to weather radios or the news or such when we did have weather coming in," said Smith.
The other will be erected near the new Habersham County High School.
Half of the money to pay for the new sirens comes from Habersham's EMA budget, while the balance will be paid through a GEMA grant. Total cost for the additions is $35,683.
"We realize that there are areas in the county that are not covered [by the warning system] and our goal is to cover as many as we can," noted Smith. "Hopefully, the grant will be available again in the coming years, and we can continue to add."
Some homes in Habersham County were damaged by storms that raced across Georgia last week. Tuesday, Habersham was added to the list of Georgia counties eligible for federal disaster assistance through FEMA.
Friday
October 18th, 2024
8:53PM
