Jim Wells County Outdoor Tornado Warning Systems Are Ready

• Preparations are underway in Alice and Jim Wells counties, particularly the outdoor warning system.
• Patrick Thomas, emergency management coordinator in Alice, said the sirens are only used with information from the National Weather Service and for people in the path of the tornado.
• There are eight outdoor sirens located throughout the county.

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Alice and Jim Wells County emergency personnel are doing their part to prepare for possible severe weather, but the community must do its part as well.

As part of these preparations, tests are being conducted on the exterior emergency system in case authorities need to use tornado warning sirens.

Annabelle Garcia lives just outside the city limits of Alice and she said, “Yes, I’ve heard them before.”

Garcia has lived in the Alice suburb for nearly 40 years. She said volunteer firefighters near her home regularly test the sirens.

Patrick Thomas is Alice’s emergency management coordinator. He said there are eight sirens throughout the county – six in the city of Alice and two in the county.

“We are prepared. We have tested all of our equipment, all of our systems, and we have made sure that our facilities are ready. We are very fortunate that our city has an outdoor warning system,” Thomas said.

He said officials have been preparing for hurricane season since Tropical Storm Alberto hit the Gulf. Now, with Hurricane Beryl, they are reviewing all systems as a precaution.

Another of those preparations is making sure all emergency personnel are in communication with the National Weather Service in Corpus Christi.

“The idea behind the warning system is that if someone is outside, they should hear the siren and that will prompt them to take action. Then they will move inside, seek shelter because there is a tornado in the area,” Thomas said.

While sirens will sound if needed, Thomas said to remain vigilant with all the warning systems at your disposal.

Thomas tells us that all the sirens will go off at the same time, but it depends on the path of the tornado.

“If I hear a tornado siren, there’s a closet between the hallways and I’ll go in there. Because there’s no windows,” Garcia said.

Emergency officials said with Hurricane Beryl still moving, we need to be prepared for all potential situations.

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