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A tornado watch issued last week for Perry County was followed almost immediately by an alert from the Perryville Police Department that left some city residents wondering how they’d know if one was spotted.
“The downtown tornado siren is out of service due to mechanical problems,” read the alert, which was issued at 11:02 p.m. on Nov. 26. “Please monitor the media to keep updated during severe weather.”
Fortunately, the watch never developed into something more serious, but the follow-up post did raise some questions among residents on social media.
According to Perryville emergency management director Maj. Bill Jones, the siren in question, located at Perryville Fire Station No. 1, is one of several maintained by the city, and was out of service because it was in the process of being replaced.
“We ran into some problems with a rock shelf up by the fire station,” Jones said, “so they’ll be back.”
The installation of the new siren, which was purchased along with two others from Blue Valley Public Safety of Grain Valley, just outside of Kansas City, was delayed when installers discovered an error in plans for the site where the new siren’s metal pole, itself a replacement for an existing 45-year-old wooden pole, would be located.
“They marked off 200 feet from what should have been marked,” Jones said. “We couldn’t have them take the chance of drilling a hole and planting the pole without it being marked.”
The new downtown siren was one of three purchased by the city, bringing the total number of warning sirens in the city to seven with the goal of increasing coverage inside the city limits to nearly 100 percent.
One of the two new sirens has already been installed on the Perry County School District campus and the third will soon be installed on the water tower near Interstate 55.
The city’s other sirens are located at the Perry Park Center, on French Lane, and on Industrial Drive and on Hwy. 61 northwest of the city.
Money for the new sirens, which cost approximately $23,000-$26,000 each, was approved by the city’s Board of Aldermen and included in the annual budget. The last three purchased were previously used and purchased at a reduced price.
According to Jones, the new sirens are louder than the four already in place, with an effective range of 5,000 feet, or nearly a mile, producing 130 decibels. The city’s older sirens produce 124 decibels with an effective range of 4,200 feet.
“They have a considerably larger coverage area than the old sirens,” Jones said, “and they’re more electronic than mechanical.”
Jones also noted that those ranges apply to outdoor situations.
“These are termed outdoor warning sirens, because they are primarily for folks that are outdoors,” Jones said. “However, it’s an added bonus if you live within an area where the sirens can be heard inside.”
As for last week’s unfortunate coincidence, Jones said it really highlights the need to monitor the weather no matter what.
“We want to make sure that folks understand, whether the sirens are working or not, they need to tune in to their radio or their TV during periods of inclement weather to keep abreast of the latest happenings,” Jones said. “Some folks won’t hear the sirens because they’re really not designed to be heard inside. Anytime you hear the sirens, anytime you see bad weather forecast, you should always be monitoring the radio or TV.”
