Jasper responds to siren issues, reminds residents sirens are not primary warning system

The Jasper Police Department found that three sirens failed to sound in the early hours of Monday morning in response to the severe weather that passed through the area.

According to the department, when a tornado warning was issued for the northern portion of the county, though the city was not in the path of the tornado, the police department decided to proactively activate the Jasper City Weather Sirens.

When they did so, three sirens located at 17th Street, 20th Street and 37th Street did not activate due to power outages in the area. Officials determined that this occurred due to the battery backups failing.

These locations are being inspected and will be repaired at this time, police said.

Additionally, the Jasper Police Department issued a reminder to citizens that the outdoor sirens are not intended to wake you, be heard inside a residence or replace a personal notification system such as a NOAA weather radio, weather apps on a phone, or local news and weather stations.

Please ensure that your NOAA weather radios have fresh batteries and are ready to notify in the event of severe weather in your area, the department said.

The Dubois County Emergency Management director Tammy Humbert, has recommended Midland weather radios for anyone seeking a NOAA weather radio. The EMA offers programming for weather radios at no cost.