Lancaster County down one tornado siren; officials urge not to rely on one weather warning
LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — As severe weather season flexes its muscles in Nebraska, officials are emphasizing the importance of staying in the know.
But during the storms on Sunday, a tornado siren at Conestoga Lake sustained mechanical damage, leaving those in the area with one less tool to stay aware.
The director of the Lincoln-Lancaster County Emergency Management Agency, Jim Davidsaver, said the next morning, a volunteer in the area made them aware of the problem.
“Due to that electro-mechanical malfunction, the siren was sounding, and the only way to deactivate it was to literally disconnect the power to it,” he said. “So again, that was a situation where we were in that possibility of severe weather. People heard the siren, they knew it wasn’t supposed to go off, they notified the proper authorities.”
The agency is not sure when the siren will be back up and running, but Davidsaver said it will happen as soon as possible.
He said now is the most important time to make sure there is a working siren at Conestoga.
“It’s a state recreational area, so most times of the year there might not be many people there,” he said. “Obviously now, we’re heading into the heart of the camping season, so there’s a high likelihood that there will be a lot of people there.”
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And he said this outage is a good reminder to make sure you have many ways to know when weather hits.
“Good information leads to good decisions,” Davidsaver said. “And again, that’s a situation where we hope people have that situational awareness. They’re paying attention to it. The outdoor warning sirens, that’s just one tool in the toolbox when it comes to those things.”
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