Weather concerns raise need for siren discussion

Published 7:00 pm Sunday, December 5, 2010

This past week’s round of storms in Yazoo City and in otherparts of the state raises a number of serious questions forBrookhaven and Lincoln County.

The most notable question is what is the status of this community’sweather warning system? The answer appears to be one that leavessomething to be desired and one that deserves serious discussion bycity fathers and county leaders.

At last check, the city’s only weather siren was inoperable and thecounty has never had a warning system in place.

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City and county officials have every so often discussed upgradingweather warning equipment, but talks have tended to fizzle beforegenerating any serious steam. Perhaps it is time for that situationto be revisited.

One plan that has been raised would require 18 sirens, at anestimated $40,000 each, to provide coverage for the city. How manyneeded to cover the county was an unknown total as late as June ofthis year, the start of the annual hurricane season.

In these difficult budget times, money is certainly tight andpriorities must be carefully considered. Whether the weather sirenexpense can be justified is not known, but a thorough discussion isthe first, needed step toward making that determination.