Oregon Officials Discuss Transition From Storm Sirens to Cell Phone Alerts

OREGON – Oregon city officials discussed the future of emergency storm sirens at Monday’s City Council meeting as Constellation Energy plans to phase out support for sirens it has maintained across multiple counties for years. Communities can keep the sirens, but future expenses, including a possible $100,000 to go towards decommissioning, would be the responsibility of the city. The county plans to transition to the federal IPAWS alert system, which sends tornado and storm warnings to cell phones, radio, and TV stations. Current sirens will remain in use until the new system is approved by the state and FEMA, a process that could take a year or more, with some sirens remaining in areas with poor cell coverage. Maintenance and activation costs will fall to communities that retain the sirens while other residents will continue to receive alerts through television, radio, and social media.