An eastern Missouri community wants to use more than outdoor sirens to alert people to the threat of tornadoes.
Marion County in eastern Missouri is collecting bids for a system that would use residents’ telephones to advise them of emergency situations.
Officials estimate the system will cost between $13,000 and $14,000.
The Hannibal Courier-Post reported that the alert system would have the capability of calling every land-line telephone number contained in Marion County 911’s database. People who rely solely on a cell phone will have the option of signing up for emergency notifications.
The expense of the system will be split between the cities of Hannibal and Palmyra and Marion counties.