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July 29, 2020

Pennington County Sirens: Used For Rapidly-Developing, Life-Threatening Situations

This emergency siren located at the Omaha Street soccer fields is one of several throughout the city and county that are used to warn the public of hazard risks. This emergency siren located at the Omaha Street soccer fields is one of several throughout the city and county that are used to warn the public of hazard risks. (City File Photo/Darrell Shoemaker)

Severe weather is a normal occurrence at any time of the year here in South Dakota. Pennington County and its municipalities are no exception. The National Weather Service has issued a Flash Flood Watch for this afternoon and evening. As a reminder, the Pennington County public warning sirens are used for all-hazards risks, including weather or human-caused. Outdoor warning sirens are intended to warn individuals who are outside to seek official information from trusted sources through radio, television, internet and weather radios.

Individuals who move to our area from other parts of the country often think outdoor sirens are only for tornadoes, but here in Pennington County, we will use all available and appropriate warning tools to alert the community of any life-threatening, all-risk, all-hazard emergency from natural threats or human-caused threats. Learn more about the purpose of sirens, who sets them off, when they are tested and where they are located in Pennington County by visiting our website at www.pennco.org/sirens . Visit www.rcpcem.com for more safety tips and information to keep your family safe.

Take your preparedness a step further and sign up for Public Warning Messages. This system is used to communicate with citizens and businesses during emergencies and other critical events to alert residents about a variety of events, ranging from severe weather, fires, floods and other rapidly developing, life-threatening emergencies. Messages will be sent to residents on their preferred contact paths—cell phone, text, home phone, email, fax, pager and more—to ensure real-time access to potentially lifesaving information. Business and residents listed in the Pennington County 911 database (landlines) have been automatically subscribed to alerts by phone, but citizens can self-register and provide additional contact information paths. Sign up at https://www.pennco.org/pubwarnmsg .