A discussion on outdoor warning sirens was held as part of this week’s Storm Lake City Council meeting.
The discussion was requested by council member Matt Ricklefs following the April 18th wind storm. Criteria needed to set off outdoor alarms include receiving a tornado warning from the National Weather Service, a thunderstorm warning with winds of 80 miles per hour or above, or it can be requested by certain law enforcement members. Buena Vista County Emergency Management Coordinator Aimee Barritt said none of the criteria was met for the recent storm. Barritt said the biggest concern when the storm was born in the early morning of April 18th was golf ball-sized hail, and the wind came on suddenly and didn’t last very long. Sheriff Kory Elston said the fastest recorded wind speed at their office was 75 miles per hour that morning.
Barritt said BV County’s severe weather policy is ahead of many other counties and communities…
Since the sirens are intended for outdoor warnings, Barritt encouraged citizens to get a NOAA weather radio…
Elston said around five thousand citizens are signed up to receive county alerts on their phones.
