While television, radio, cellphones, and internet connected devices were alerting Crothersville residents of a possible tornado last Tuesday afternoon, the town’s weather alert siren remained silent.
According to town councilman Jason Hillenburg, electric relays in the old town fire siren failed at some point and wouldn’t allow the county dispatch to activate the siren to alert Crothersville residents.
The lack of a municipal tornado alert was a much discussed topic at the town council meeting held just hours later.
“We have got to be able to notify residents of impending weather dangers,” said councilman Chad Wilson.
However, councilman Jamy Greathouse suggested that personal communication devices might be more valuable in alerting residents of possible bad weather.
“Nearly everyone has cellphones that can alert them to weather,” he said. “I got three alerts on my phone before I called (Jackson County) dispatch to see why the tornado siren hadn’t been activated.”
Greathouse said he was told that dispatch had not received a weather alert from the National Weather Service. “But when they did they activated the tornado siren, And that is how we found that there was a local problem,” he said.
“And we have a responsibility to get it fixed to keep the public safe,” said Wilson.
Hillenburg, who works for S&L Heating, Cooling and Electric in Austin, said later that the area contractor found and had ordered the electrical relays needed to get the town tornado siren functioning. It was expected that the siren would be working sometime this week after parts arrived and were installed.
To purchase a new tornado alert system costs upwards of $60,000. Greathouse said the newer system would not rely on Jackson County dispatch to activate but would be activated by the National Weather Service whenever there is a weather emergency. “Much like weather radios you may have in your home and cellphone notification,” he said.
The question is who is responsible for the existing or a new system: the town or the Jackson County Emergency Management?
According to Jackson County EMA Director Duane Davis the county does not own or maintain any of the outdoor emergency event notification sirens located around the county. “Each community is responsible for the care and upkeep of their community’s weather siren,” he said. “The sheriff’s department dispatch is just the group that can activate the community sirens.”
He said there are monthly tests to the notification system at noon the first Friday each month.
Some of the problem that delays the activation is that the county dispatch is alerted to a tornado warning by the National Weather Service in Indianapolis. Crothersville and Jackson County is on the southern reaches of that weather radar’s area.
Crothersville is in the Louisville TV market area and gets most Louisville stations. “Those stations get their weather information from the National Weather Service in Paducah KY,”
explained Davis.
Sometimes, Louisville is going to be issuing alerts for Crothersville and Scott County before Indianapolis does, the EMA Director observed.
In other council matters, Monte Streigel spoke with the council about developing a five-acre parcel on the south side of the 500 block of Moore Street for housing.
Real estate agent Kathi Byrd said Streigel hopes to develop the parcel into 15-17 lots for single family homes and duplexes.
The council was supportive of the development and advised Striegel to get with town engineer Dan Wright of FPBH to get the town requirements for streets, curbing, sidewalk and infrastructure.
US 31 South resident Matthew Williams complained about loud cars driving past his residence in the very early morning hours.
“Austin, Scottsburg, and Seymour all have noise ordinances. I’d like to see Crothersville establish a noise ordinance to combat this problem,” he told the council.
“Technically we do have an ordinance that refers to that. It is under the nuisance ordinance but we would need a decibel meter to enforce, police need to witness and record the vilation,” said Greathouse.
“Obviously this is an issue,” said Wilson. “I think we need to create an ordinance for loud music, loud cars, squalling tires.”
Speaking to Williams, council president Terry Richey said, “Let us look in to this, do some research, talk with our lawyer, see what we can legally do.”