Grand Lake Community Almost To Fundraising Goal For Tornado Siren

Four months and $30,000 later, Cleora needs just more than $2,000 to hit the fundraising goal.

Sunday, April 20th 2014, 9:18 pm

By: News On 6

Grand Lake Community Almost To Fundraising Goal For Tornado Siren

A Grand Lake Community is one step closer to getting its own tornado siren installed after a tornado destroyed homes there nearly three years ago.

Four months and $30,000 later, Cleora needs just more than $2,000 to hit the fundraising goal.

The group says it will help warn everyone, especially on busy lake weekends.

More than 200 families and local businesses donated the money to get the siren ordered.

"If we have a disaster, we hope we don't have any fatalities and forewarning everybody by a siren screaming should really help," organizer Sherry Wolf said.

Wolf and her neighbor Jack Kenney handed out fliers all over Grand Lake this winter looking for donations.

"It's a miracle is about all you can say to raise that type of money through this type of program in that short of time," Kenney said.

In May 2011, trees fell on homes, high winds blew out windows and boat docks were tossed on top of each other when an EF1 tornado touched down on the lake.

Wolf hopes people will have plenty of advanced warning with this new siren.

Now more than a dozen communities around the lake will hear the siren when it sounds.

"It really is needed," Wolf said. "Instead of people going outside and going, 'What is that noise' as the tornado is a quarter-mile away from them tearing up people's homes, and instead they'd know to take cover."

The tornado siren isn't in yet, but a will be the Internet link between the tornado siren and the National Weather Service.

The group still needs 2,300 to pay for the sales tax.

Cleora is on private property and isn't part of the county -- partly why neighbors raised their own money for the siren.

"Since we couldn't get government help of any type, we did this thing and let everybody know and it's just been click click click," Kenney said.

The community hopes to have the siren installed in the next two to three weeks.

If you would like to donate, you can click here.