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Falfurrias Emergency Siren Back in Operation

6 years 5 months 3 weeks ago Wednesday, October 04 2017 Oct 4, 2017 October 04, 2017 9:38 PM October 04, 2017 in News

FALFURRIAS – An emergency siren in the city of Falfurrias is operational again, after years being out of service.

The Brooks County-owned siren on downtown Caldwell Street is able to emit a warning to residents during emergencies, according to County Judge Imelda Barrera.

The repair came just in time before Hurricane Harvey.

"That was kind of nerve-racking," said Barrera. "For about two hours they said its coming through Baffin Bay. Baffin Bay is about 36 miles from here."

The storm barely passed around the area.

The siren wasn't used, but stands ready. The repair cost was $180 for a simple part.

"That's all it took to install batteries to get it to work," said Barrera.

The siren emits multiple kinds of sounds, corresponding to the type of emergency.

"It shook my windows," said resident Joan Bostwick, who works half a mile away.

The last time she heard the siren was three years ago. The county plans to test the siren more frequently.

Barrera added that the county started putting more money away for emergency response.

She said they had put away $10,000 to pay for overtime, if road and bridge staff needs to work during an emergency.

Contributions in previous years were limited because money was tight.

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