Outagamie County is moving away from the emergency outdoor warning siren system and telling communities that they’ll have to pick up the tab on maintenance soon.
Meteorologist Jeff Last of the National Weather Service in Green Bay says people shouldn’t rely on the sirens for weather information. Outagamie County doesn’t activate them until the National Weather Service issues a tornado warning.
Last says there are better options, including the AtHoc system that the county is pushing, that sends notifications through text messages and phone calls. He says people can also download a weather app onto their smartphone, and get a portable weather radio that they can take with them when they’re spending time outdoors.
The county is telling communities that they’ll have to maintain the sirens, starting in 2020.
