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 Phase 2 of Tornado Warning System not out of the question EMA Director says web posted December 17, 2008 COUNTY – Phase two of an early warning system for a tornado for county residents is not out of the question and is a plan that EMA Director Mike Casey is still pursuing. The recently installed warning system that will begin testing on Thursday in the towns of Edgefield, Johnston, and Trenton was funded by the towns individually and made use of a siren system already being in place. “No county funds were used,” in implementing the new warning system EMA Director Mike Casey said. The cost to the towns was “minimal” as most of the equipment was already in place. “They had the electronic switch gear and only paid for a controller card, labor and the shared cost of a one time installation of the control button on the 911 consoles,” Casey said. However, installing similar warning sirens in other heavily populated parts of the county would not come as cheap, but could still be affordable. Mr. Casey said current estimates to install a similar system “from scratch” could range between $30,000 and $40,000 depending on the location and the needed equipment. “I am searching for a grant (or grants) that will allow us to initiate Phase 2 of the warning system. We will survey the county and determine population density and other variables to decide where to set up the next sirens,” Mr. Casey said. “This would be a county funded project since matching funds would be required for the unincorporated areas. This can be a slow process (applying for grants) but we will keep at it.” Public support for the expansion of the project is imperative to begin phase two into the outlaying areas such as Merriwether or the Bettis Academy area where population densities in the unincorporated areas could support additional sites. “Citizen input is important to me and I am sure to (the County) Council,” Mr. Casey said. In an area such as Merriwether one siren may not be sufficient as the distance the sound of the siren being able to be heard effectively is affected by many factors including the lay of the land, wind speeds, and other mitigating factors. In the Merriwether District there are three major population centers. The first near Merriwether Fire Station 1 on Martintown Road that includes several subdivisions such as Cannon Mill, Currytown Station, River Hills, and almost a dozen others in the area. A siren placed at the Merriwether Fire Station 3 on Murrah Road would also include a similar number of communities and include the Merriwether Elementary and Middle Schools. The third area of population is the Murphy Village area along Highway 25 where a majority of those residents live in mobile homes and are most susceptible to destruction in a tornado. A similar situation exists in the Bettis Academy area where a large number of residents reside in mobile homes as well as many of those around the County Line Fire Department on Highway 25 just a few miles south. Determining where the best location to place the additional sirens is what the population studies would help determine. With matching grants the cost of implementing the system could be halved at each location if the grants were approved. There are no formal talks with the county to implement “Phase 2” of the Warning System at this time, but that is not hindering the Emergency Management Administration (EMA) from pursuing the studies and plans to expand the service. ©
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