Storm sirens in Petrolia and Carlyle went online earlier this month, allowing the county to alert those residents of tornadoes or other potentially cataclysmic events.
The sirens in the two communities will be operated through the countys 911 system, noted Angela Murphy, 911 director.
Adding Petrolia and Carlyle to the
system means every community in the county 10 in all can be alerted in case of tornado warnings.
Getting the entire county online was cited as one of the many goals residents preferred during Thrive Allen Countys Community Engagement Initiative, which kicked off in 2014 and 2015.
Elsmore and Mildred were put online in recent years to go along with the system already in place for Iola, Humboldt, Moran, Savonburg, LaHarpe and Gas.
The final piece of the puzzle came in the form of a $25,000 Walmart Foundation grant, as well as donations from Westar and others in the community after it became evident the price tag came in at $33,000.
Westar donated poles for sirens in both communities, while Darrell Baughn, a retired electric lineman for Iola and fire chief for the Allen County Rural Volunteer Fire Department, did much of the installation work.
The sirens in Carlyle and Petrolia will be tested by the county each Tuesday at noon beginning June 26, unless severe weather threatens on those days.
