Published: May 20, 2008 11:32 pm            

Phone calls for safety

THE ISSUE:Commissioners’ approval for reverse 911.

OUR VIEW:If just one life is saved because of it, it’ll be well worth the cost.

On the first of the month, we reminded folks this is tornado season in Indiana – and we acknowledged most of them didn’t need it.

Most of us remember many of the tornadoes that have cut across Howard County over the years. Some recall the deadly one on Palm Sunday in ’65.

Eleven tornadoes were spawned that day, killing 137 Hoosiers. How many lives would’ve been sparred had we had then the technologies we have today, like powerful weather radar?

The Howard County Commissioners on Monday approved another of those technologies to help keep residents safe. The county will contract with an outside vendor to provide “reverse 911.” Through it, news of weather alerts and other emergencies will be provided by telephone calls.

Larry Smith, director of the Howard County Emergency Management Agency, said the service should be up and running within the next 60 to 90 days.

“This is a needed service. It’s time the county bit the bullet and have it available,” Commissioner Brad Bagwell said.

Indeed.

For years, many people here have been concerned about the lack of a system of tornado sirens across the county. Reverse 911 appears to be a far more effective means of relaying emergency messages. Smith said phone calls can be directed to certain areas of the county, depending on the message or the track of a dangerous storm.

Reverse 911 is also less expensive on the front end. Installation and the first year’s service will be $25,000. After that, the system will have a base cost of $24,150 a year. Last year, the city of Kokomo considered spending $150,000 on warning sirens, but the city council denied the funding.

We thank the commissioners and the folks at the EMA for bringing reverse 911 to Howard County. If just one life is saved because of it, it’ll be well worth the cost.

        

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