Board of Directors — Local Emergency Management Officers work to give local residents as much advantage as possible when it comes to monitoring severe weather.
Problems arose on Sunday when a small tornado hit Boardman, leaving many wondering why the familiar sirens were silent.
The National Weather Service classified the tornado as EF-0, the weakest level, with winds of 80 mph. The plaza near Southern Park Mall was damaged in a storm just before 6 p.m.
The storm soon hit, causing flooding and other damage in various parts of the county.
Andrew Frost III, director of the Mahoning County Emergency Management Agency, said some sirens in the township sounded, but most did not.
“This is old, outdated equipment,” he said, noting that parts to fix the sirens are hard to come by. “We can’t trust them.”
The County is implementing a new alert system called IPAWS, or Integrated Public Alert & Warning System. Frost says it alerts almost any phone, similar to Amber Alert.
According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency website, IPAWS is also designed to alert radio and television stations of impending threats.
Residents do not need to sign up for the service, which will begin as soon as Boardman receives approval from FEMA, Frost said.
Once implemented, IPAWS and siren alerts will be used together, Frost said, until enough feedback is received to determine whether the siren can be removed.
“super confusing”
Becky Mercer of the Oregon Trail behind Boardman Plaza said she was alerted by phone about the tornado warning and went to the porch to see if the Market Street fire station sirens would go off, but they didn’t. .
“I was very confused as to why they didn’t explode, especially because they hit a block away,” she said.
Julie Cleghorn, who lives on Brainerd Drive off Glenwood Avenue, said she knew to evacuate only because she checked the weather app on her phone. The only notice she received was before 7pm. Then the alarm on her phone warned of flooding.
She understands that sirens are outdated, but wonders what it means for people without power sources or mobile phones.
“It would come in handy for me,” she said of the Phone app. “I’m just worried about the elderly.”
Frost said the township has 52 sirens. He said he couldn’t get six or seven of those parts.
It is tested twice a week, once on Monday through our internal software system, and at noon on Saturday. Both tests of the system last week showed it was working, he said.
Frost acknowledged that the system is imperfect and that there are still people who are unable to receive proper alerts due to power outages, lack of cell phone or internet access, and sleeping.
“My advice to families is to buy a cheap weather radio,” he said. “They are very reasonable.”
The township has set up a hotline to assess storm damage, and Frost said officials will seek cleanup funds if possible.
A news release from Boardman Administrator Jason Loree asks affected residents to call 330-716-0038 and leave their name, address, phone number, and type of property damage.
“We are working with the Mahoning County Emergency Management Office to gather this information and seek to obtain a disaster declaration. As time progresses, the assessment team may contact the person who called for a site visit,” the release said.
Trumbull County
The Trumbull County Emergency Management Department is working closely with Mahoning County officials. Director John E. Hickey said he and Frost were “perfectly on the same page” when it came to Siren.
“Tornado sirens are old technology,” he said, explaining the high cost of maintaining them. “We are doing what we can to upgrade them.”
His agency said it had no intention of phasing out sirens that work for tornado, thunderstorm, flood and snow warnings. He pointed out that it was not meant to be heard indoors. He said the sirens were installed at a time when there was no other way to warn farmers and people working outdoors to evacuate.
The Trumbull EMA purchased about 20 new sirens about 20 years ago with federal grants, Hickey said, leaving maintenance up to individual communities.
A new notification system was implemented in July to alert residents of Trumbull County to storm warnings. Hickey said residents will have to sign up for alerts, which will be sent to them by cell phone and email.
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