Lincoln County changing its protocol for the Emergency Siren

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (KNOP) - Lincoln County communities recently changed their emergency siren protocol; the sirens always sound for tornadoes, and that will not change.

However, sirens will now sound for potential life-threatening weather events within ten miles of the area. Straight-line winds in excess of 80 miles per hour with a severe thunderstorm and for damaging hail that is 2.75 inches in diameter or larger—equal to the size of a tennis ball.

“The windstorm that we had last year really kind of put it at the forefront of my mind that we needed something to be able to lead the public more often when we have these dangerous storms come in, not just a tornado, whether it’s a weather event or a hazardous material event, a hazardous material spill, what is on the interstate railroad, whatever it is, something that is going to be a detriment to the public, and they want them to go inside and find out what it is that way I can take precaution from there,” Brandon Myers, the Lincoln County Emergency Management Director, said.

Every first Wednesday at 11:30 a.m., they test the sirens to make sure they are working properly.

The communities of Brady, Sutherland, Maxwell, Wellfleet, Wallace, North Platte and the Lake Maloney Homeowners Association adopted the new policy. The Village of Hershey did not.

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