By Aleasha Sandley, Herald Bulletin Staff Writer
ANDERSON — Madison County’s tornado sirens sounded without a hitch Wednesday, when communities across the state participated in a tornado drill marking the beginning of severe-weather season, according to local emergency management officials.
“As far as the city, everything worked fine,” said Anderson Emergency Management Director Frank Dick, who noted that sirens in the city and county already are tested every Saturday.
Anderson has 26 tornado sirens, and another one will be added on the southwest side near Nestlé within the next month, Dick said. Nestlé donated the siren to the city, and city officials hope that side of town will experience growth in the coming years.
“With Nestlé, that filled really the last hole we had,” Dick said of tornado siren coverage in the city.
Until the new siren is installed, the closest one to Nestlé — which employs more than 400 workers — was on Dickey Road just east of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, close enough barely to be heard by Nestlé employees if they are outside, Dick said.
Madison County Emergency Management Agency spokesman Todd Harmeson said, to his knowledge, all sirens in the county worked well during Wednesday’s test. Sirens in Madison County are owned by the individual cities, towns and townships in which they are placed.
“We provide the mechanism for setting those sirens off,” Harmeson said, “but the siren is the responsibility of the local government. In the county itself, we do not have emergency sirens.”
Wednesday’s drill also was a chance for businesses, schools and families to practice their tornado readiness, Harmeson said. Madison County EMA and law enforcement practiced their severe-weather procedures, as well.
“We were very pleased with the emergency preparedness of the schools and the businesses,” he said. “It’s a good opportunity for everyone to just test their preparedness.”
Dick said he checks the operation of city sirens every Saturday after they are tested and keeps a log of their failures. It’s been nearly a year since one has failed a test, he said.
Next week, workers will perform annual maintenance on the city’s sirens, and Anderson residents could hear isolated sirens during the maintenance starting Monday, Dick said.
Harmeson reminds Madison County residents that a severe-weather watch means to be alert and a warning means threatening weather is imminent and they should seek shelter immediately.
“Tornadoes, they don’t call ahead of time and set up an appointment when they’re going to occur,” he said. “We need to be prepared at our home just like our children are in their schools. Tornadoes can occur at any time. We’re definitely in the season, and people should be alert.”
Contact Aleasha Sandley: 640-4805, aleasha.sandley@heraldbulletin.com.
