Madison County officials say they have put safeguards in place for their weather radios after reports of them failing to go off.
This comes after severe thunderstorms two weeks ago brought countywide power outages and damages. The Madison County Emergency Management Agency said the National Weather Service was responsible for triggering the ALERT-FM alarms.
“Should the National Weather Service not issue an alert to the ALERT-FM, we have new protocols in place where we will override those systems and not 100 percent rely on other people,” Jill Williams, Deputy Judge Executive of Madison County, said.
Williams said the county is also able to trigger alarms if a leak happens at the Blue Grass Army Depot. A four-year process to demolish a 500-ton stockpile of chemical weapons was recently completed. This alarm could be issued independently from the National Weather Service. Drained warheads with residual agents are still being disposed of at the site, alongside more decontamination work.
“It's an entirely different system that allows us to override those alert FM programming, as well as the outdoor sirens, as well as on your phone and use all the tools in our toolbox,” Williams said.
The alarms were gifted to the county by the federal Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program last Spring.
