At least Decatur has the Agnes Scott siren
AJC photo
Minutes before a deluge of
rain and hail hit the south Decatur neighborhood of Oakhurst on
Saturday, a siren sounded a steady wail. A man's voice boomed: "Attention. A tornado warning is in effect for
Agnes Scott College. Seek shelter now. I repeat: A tornado warning is
in effect." Perched atop a college
library, the siren didn't reach only students. It also delivered the
primary warning for residents nearby who were not tuned in to a
television, radio or the Internet. Agnes Scott's siren is a rare piece of equipment in DeKalb County,
which dismantled its outdoor siren system years ago. Fulton County did
the same, citing upkeep costs. As a result, no such alert sounded in Atlanta or unincorporated
Fulton before the tornado struck downtown Friday night. Only residents
within earshot of a city or school that had bought its own sirens heard
them. The siren could be heard in the Decatur Heights neighborhood (3/4-1 mile away). The worded warning can be heard as far away as the Corner Pub (about 1/2-3/4 mile), but not in the Decatur Heights neighborhood. On Decatur Metro, Lyn M, who works for the City of Decatur, confirms in a comment that Decatur does not have a siren system, but is considering one. DeKalb used to have a system, but deactivated it in 1988. The Code Red reverse 911 calling system has never been used to warn Decatur residents of a tornado watch, during the three experienced since it was tested by advising us of holiday trash pickups. You can sign up for a call from Weather Underground on your home or cell phone when your AC has a watch. An NOAA radio with battery backup will activate to warn you even if the power is out. Every home should have one.
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