The first of nine brand-new storm sirens were delivered to Todd County last week.
Todd County Emergency Management Director Daniel Smith says eight more sirens are on order and expected to be delivered sometime next month. The goal is to have a storm siren located at each school and fire station across the county, beginning with North Todd Elementary. He adds Todd County Maintenance, Emergency Management, the school district and Pennyrile Electric are all working together to get the equipment installed and operational at North Todd in the next week.
Thanks to a grant from Kentucky Emergency Management’s Special Project Fund, half the cost of North Todd’s siren will be covered. It’s estimated to cost $18,370, shared between the state and county emergency managements.
The county previously applied for the storm sirens grant, hoping to install them at North and South Todd Elementary Schools on opposite ends of Highway 181, but did not receive the funds. The county later re-applied after the EF-2 tornado that hit the southern portion of the county last year.
The additional sirens are part of a plan brought to Todd County Fiscal Court over the summer, which involves installing eight self-sustaining sirens, allowing them to function without requiring connection to the power grid. The plan could later include purchasing and distributing weather radios for residents who do not live near a siren.
Smith says the goal is to provide a multi-layered warning, providing the county with at least three ways to receive every warning, in accordance with the National Weather Service.
Officially, the sirens have a range of about a mile and a half from its centralized point, but Smith says the range may be even wider.
After the units are installed, Smith estimates over 60% of the population will be within an effective range of a storm siren. However, that still leaves a small number of people in rural areas who may not be in range.
He is hoping all sirens can be installed before the spring of next year.
