Code Red Sign-up for Local Emergency Information

Lamar Sirens Near Municipal Pool

When Friday’s tornado hit the substation just south of Lamar on April 27, it killed power to most of the town, and it also killed power to the town’s siren alert system.  Seven sirens can be found atop power poles, placed around Lamar to cover most of the city and announce an emergency situation.  They are always tested at noon on the first Monday of each month and can be controlled at the Lamar Municipal Complex or from Lamar Light and Power.  Without electricity, they cannot function.   

Lamar Fire Chief Marshall Cook explained on Friday afternoon that the sirens had been activated for about only one minute when the tornado hit the substation, taking that off line and knocking down and destroying the Sprint communications tower in the process.  The tornado also knocked KVAY and KLMR-FM off the air for any emergency information they could have broadcast.  KLMR has a generator at its studios that kept the AM broadcasts on the air.  KVAY was able to broadcast information by mid-afternoon using a portable generator. 

Many residents, who had subscribed to the Code Red Alert system, were informed of the tornado alert as the warning was being issued by the National Weather Service at around 2am on Friday.  A subscription page is available for this area on either the City of Lamar website at www.ci.lamar.co.us and at the Prowers County website at www.prowerscounty.net.  Residents who register can use their landline or cell phone numbers to receive the alerts.   

The registration process is quite simple and provides check boxes for the hearing impaired if text information is required to a special number.  Emergency information and alerts will be sent to a subscriber for events such as severe weather alerts, water contamination, evacuation notices and emergency routes, missing persons, fire or flood, bomb threats as well as hazardous material spills. 

Additional emergency related information is also available from the city or county for pre-emergency supplies and preparations.  A folder has been published which outlines supplies and procedures a family would need to provide for their basic needs for 72 hours.  This information is based on the premise that your family would be without utilities or outside aid from any source for a three day period. 

Read a past article on Tornado Preparedness.

By Russ Baldwin