A computer glitch is to blame for Brookhaven’s quiet tornado sirens.

But that’s fixed now and the loud blasts heard Thursday morning about 10:30 a.m. proved it, said Lincoln County Emergency Management Director Clifford Galey.

The five sirens should have gone off Wednesday at noon during the statewide yearly testing as part of Weather Awareness Week, but they didn’t, he said. After investigating the cause, Galey blamed a computer system malfunction.

The sirens should be tested every first Saturday at noon. Galey’s not usually in the city at that time, so he doesn’t know how long they’ve been quiet.

“I haven’t gotten any calls about them not working so I just assumed they were,” he said.

The 911 dispatch office is supposed to test them monthly. The next test will be March 3 at noon, but only if the weather is good, Galey said.

“If there’s a threat of severe weather or raining, we won’t sound them,” he said.

The outdoor warning sirens are strategically placed around town. The blast for the test is three minutes. While it sounds, the siren rotates 360 degrees three times so the sound carries in all directions, he said.