Despite Lee County’s emergency warning sirens and a phone app alert system similar to the Bibb Alert app, 23 people died as a result of the EF-4 tornado that devastated southeast Alabama last month. Leading up to the deadly storm event, local and state weather reporters predicted deadly storms with high winds and possible tornadoes as much as three days ahead, with regular updates and tracking. On the day of the storm, sirens sounded and phone app alerts went out. So what went wrong?

Tornado damage near Beauregard, Ala., on Monday March 4, 2019. (via Montgomery Advertiser.)

Days before the deadly tornado in Lee County, the Bibb County Commission voted unanimously to close the financial account designated to keep our storm warning sirens maintained, since the last of the 18 automatic sirens stopped working. Now, a month after the Lee County disaster, the buzz about sirens continues around Bibb.

The sirens had been allowed to die off naturally since 2013, when the County Commission voted to abandon the sirens and go to a more “high-tech” solution for emergency alerts. Initially the county moved to a system called Code Red – a mobile app alert system similar to what we have now in the Bibb Alert system, but costing $6,000 more and with the limitation of restricted data access, according to County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) Director Kirk Smith. The electronic systems send emergency alerts out to subscribers’ smart phones via a downloaded app.

In 2015-2016 the county began the transition from Code Red to the system we have now, Bibb Alert (sign up by following the link here). The new system is not only cheaper, but also allows emergency response direct access to data, including the ability to see a map with subscriber locations marked so they know to look for you there after a disaster – if you’ve signed up in the system.

The old inoperable storm siren at the Cahaba Country Club in Centreville.
The old inoperable storm siren at the Cahaba Country Club in Centreville.

Now, with the automatic emergency alert sirens all defunct, Bibb County residents must rely on the Bibb Alert system, TV and radio alerts, and personal weather radios for early warnings when tornadoes and severe storms approach. Are these systems enough?

Not alone in his opinion, Centreville City Councilman Calvin Elliot is skeptical:

I know and understand that the sirens are old, were expensive to buy to begin with and cost a fortune to repair and maintain, but a very large number of our citizens rely on them – our older residents, our poorer residents, and those who live in the spots where cellphone and television coverage are weak. I live in Centreville, roughly 200 yards from a non-working siren. I also have spots in my house where my phone does not pick up data or calls. I’m sure many others do as well. I’ve heard from a lot of my friends, neighbors and local citizens wanting to know why nothing is being done about the sirens … Mr. Smith and the rest of the EMA team do a great job with what they have and I have nothing but respect for them. But questions need to be asked.”

Questions asked: What if storms knock out cell towers? What if someone doesn’t have service for whatever reason, including an unpaid bill? What if someone doesn’t have a smart phone at all?

EMA Director Smith suggests that everyone should have multiple phone apps, including Bibb Alert, local TV news, and live radar. In addition to these, a weather radio that responds to the Emergency Management System (EMS) alerts – NOAA Weather Radio – and communication with family and neighbors are critical points of staying safe. “I do everything I can and use all the resources I can to make sure my family is safe. If people communicate and stay alert as weather is coming in, it makes a huge difference,” Smith said. What of the sirens, though?

The manually-activated storm siren in Centreville, located just off of Courthouse Square begind the County Commission Office (aka. the Rock Building).
The manually-activated storm siren in Centreville, located just off of Courthouse Square behind the County Commission Office (aka. the Rock Building).

Bibb had 18 automatic sirens that respond to EMS alerts and two that are only activated manually. The two manual sirens will still function. The automatic ones that blanketed the county with a loud wail to alert everyone to take cover were allowed to die purely for financial reasons. Costing an estimated average of $10,000 annually to maintain, plus $500 batteries for each siren that need regular replacement, plus needing circuit board repairs that would require paying to have them removed, shipped off, repaired, shipped back, and re-installed at a presumably ridiculous price – besides the months it would take to complete … it looks like a lot of big numbers with dollar signs in front, something which tax payers are severely averse to seeing. Repairs and maintenance seem out of the question. What about buying new ones? That comes in around $25,000 per each “plain-Jane unit” according to Director Smith.

If the county installed 18 new sirens, that would total $450,000. Add to that the annual maintenance, repairs and battery backup systems and it is no small investment.

The Bibb Voice has heard that County Commissioner Rodney Stabler intends to look for grant money that could be used to either repair the late-1990’s vintage sirens we have, or to purchase new ones. As of this writing I have not yet caught up to Commissioner Stabler to verify this or get his comments on the topic.

“If money was available I’d support bringing the sirens back,” Director Smith said, “But now with the way new grants work, everything is competitive.” Which means we would be competing for grant money with other communities like Lee County.

But, Lee County already has sirens, right? Let’s look back at an earlier question: what went wrong in Lee County?

Lee County residents had benefit of spot-on weather predictions days in advance. They had TV and radio alerts; NOAA weather radio alerts; Automatic Emergency Siren alerts; and mobile app alerts. Yet, 23 people died. According to reports, 19 of the 23 people killed lived in mobile homes. The consensus seems to be that most of the victims perished because of a lack of accessible storm shelters.

Where does Bibb stand on storm shelters?

“We never have enough. We want as many shelters as we can,” Director Smith commented. According to Smith, a public sized storm shelter costs an average of $1,000 per person size, which means an average of $100,000 per public shelter installed.

There are those dollars signs and big numbers again.

The state budgets roughly $500,000 per year for public shelters, according to Smith, which means only five new shelters per year installed in the entirety of Alabama. “I’d encourage anyone who’s financially able to have their own shelter installed,” Smith said. He has free information available in his office about companies that specialize in storm shelter installation, and invites anyone to stop by and pick up a brochure.

So how do we make a difference in weather safety?

“A lot of safety starts at home,” Smith said, “Everybody should have a plan.”

Damage from the May 27th, 1973, EF-4 tornado that tore apart Brent, Alabama, in Bibb County. Photo via WBRC and NWS.

Get a weather radio. Make sure everyone in your household knows where the flashlights are, where the safe room is, what the plan is for when to go where, and how to communicate with each other about what’s going on. “A lot of people don’t have a plan and don’t pay enough attention to the weather like they used to,” Smith added, “Getting the public more weather aware and will make a huge difference.”

“If we were to add shelters, we need them in mobile home parks for sure,” Smith said regarding new shelters. He commended the Cedar Grove community around North Scottsville Road for coming together and installing two public use shelters in their community. “I really applaud them for taking initiative in community action.”

So is it shelters or sirens? Both? Neither? Where should we put our tax and grant dollars? Do we have any dollars to apply to either, at all? This conversation about the sirens was had in 2013, a mere two years after the destruction of Tuscaloosa by a giant, deadly tornado that made national news as it changed the face of 15th Street forever. The decision then was obviously that Bibb couldn’t afford the sirens. Has anything changed? What would Brent residents have said on May 28, 1973, the day after the deadly EF-4 ripped their town apart? Was the tragedy in Lee County a wake-up call to the gamble we’re taking on our lives by prioritizing our tax dollars away from storm warning and shelter systems?

Perhaps it’s time the community has that conversation again.

SOURCEThe Bibb Voice
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A father, creative professional, and an alumnus of Bibb County High School, Jeremy has found his way back to Centreville after many years away. He studied Finance and Economics at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, and almost a decade ago left the "normal" business world for audio and video production. A freelance writer, photographer, sound engineer, and film and video producer/director/editor, his work has appeared online for Southern Living, People, Health, Food & Wine, Sports Illustrated, Cooking Light, It's a Southern Thing, and This Is Alabama, as well as for independent musicians and filmmakers across Alabama.

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