Sequoyah County Community Installs New Warning Sirens

The Sequoyah County community of Gore has done away with its traditional tornado sirens and installed new technology.

City officials tell KFSM, the CBS affiliate in Fort Smith, three new  poles have been installed at the north, central and southern parts of town and top of each pole is a mass warning siren.

The new sirens look similar to tornado sirens and can give the same sound as a traditional tornado siren, but they can also be used to give a live or recorded audio message.

City Administrator Horace Lindley said the warning system could be used to warn residents of a spreading grass fire among other emergency warnings.

"If you had to do an evacuation you could tell them which way to go," he said.

The new sirens will be used in the event of an emergency.

Lindley said the new technology cost about $70,000.  The city of Gore will begin testing the new sirens in mid-February.