Last year was a record-breaking year for the volume of tornadoes in the U.S.; and 2012 has had its share of deadly ones, too. Looking to provide more efficient updates about dangerous weather like tornadoes, the Hall County Emergency Management Agency is seeking funding for a program that will send alerts to residents by phone or mobile electronic device. The proposed Hall County budget, which will get its first public hearing on Thursday night, includes $25,000 earmarked for a new emergency notification system, said David Kimbrell, Hall County’s fire chief and the director of its Emergency Management Agency. “I think that’s definitely where we need to be,” said Chairman Tom Oliver, about the proposed notification system. “It could save people’s lives.” Commissioner Scott Gibbs said one of the most common requests he gets from constituents is the use of some sort of electronic weather alert system. Currently, the county’s chief emergency notification tools are its outdoor weather sirens, which wail when dangerous weather blows through. However, those are not guaranteed to reach residents out of range from one of the county’s 17 sirens and they are not designed to reach people indoors. The county Emergency Management Agency also tries to reach residents through its website and Twitter, but a resident would have to seek out that information online. Kimbrell also recommends residents purchase weather radios to be alerted of inclement weather. Gibbs said his household has a subscription to a service from The Times that can provide email or text message notification for weather alerts, and the family has an emergency weather radio. That service from the The Times is available online. During a recent bout of inclement weather, Gibbs said, “I had a notification from The Times service before it came across the Hall County (emergency) radios.” For Gibbs, that’s evidence the county can be doing better. Pending budget approval, there are a variety of different electronic notification systems the county could explore. One service model would allow the county to blast land line calls to residents within a given area. Dawson County currently employs such an alert. There are also models used by counties like Forsyth that would allow residents to sign up for a mobile notification program that could send weather alerts by text, phone call or email. Depending on the service and the provider, prices can vary. “If the (proposed budget) passes, then we’ll figure what’s the best bang for the buck,” Kimbrell said. Gibbs said he is in favor of a program that targets residents with cellphones, noting that nearly everybody these days carries one. “I think you would serve the most citizens by having that rather than a siren,” Gibbs said. Even if the funds pass, Kimbrell said it’s possible the county will be able to find an outside grant to help pay for at least part of the system. Given that the county Emergency Management Agency hasn’t received approval for funding the system yet, Kimbrell said he can’t provide a timetable for when one could be implemented. In addition to the mobile or phone notification service, Commissioner Tom Oliver said there are also communities in Hall County that have requested additional weather sirens.
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