A new tornado siren activation policy went into effect Tuesday.
The new policy states that if a tornado warning goes into effect for any part of Webster County all the sirens are to sound — no matter what.
Tony Jorgensen, coordinator for the Webster County Emergency Management Agency, created the new policy in light of the recent weather pattern threatening the county.
‘‘Parkersburg taught us a really good lesson,’’ Jorgensen said. ‘‘And due to the recent weather, I want this new policy ready now.’’
Jorgensen said it is always better to err on the side of caution.
“It could be blue, clear skies with no wind and within five minutes the weather could change and you could get those swirling green clouds signaling a tornado,’’ he said.
He said the National Weather Service, stationed in Johnston, sends out a radar signal that monitors the weather but only travels in a straight line. Due to the curvature of the earth, the signal is only reading the weather at 4,000 feet above Webster County.
‘‘There is a lot of weather underneath that 4,000-foot ceiling that their radar would not be able to see,’’ Jorgensen said.
He said the new policy is much simpler than the previous one and will ensure safety for the entire county even if the National Weather Service misses something.
‘‘Fort Dodge had its own policy,’’ he said. ‘‘This gets rid of all the confusion. I’d rather have an over warning than have someone get hurt. I couldn’t live with that.’’
Webster County dispatchers are very busy during the average day, Jorgensen said, but when the weather turns for the worse it’s hard to determine which cities need to be warned and which ones shouldn’t be.
The new policy also has a list of approved people who can sound the sirens. Once the order has been passed down from the National Weather Service, no one can override the decision.
Jorgensen said any resident with a complaint about the new policy should call him instead of police or City Council members.
Contact Katie Schmitt at (515) 573-2141 or katie@messengernews.net
