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Natural disasters alarm officials in Prince William
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Prince William County (Map, News) - The torrential rainstorms and nearby tornado in the last week are causing Prince William County leaders to worry they have an inadequate system to alert the public in the case of a deadly natural disaster.
County Chairman Corey Stewart said it felt as if “we’re pushing our luck.”
The county can send text messages over cell phones and alerts to people with radios, and call specific communities through the phone system, but it does not have a broadcast siren system, emergency director Patrick Collins said.
An overnight rainstorm early Monday morning — the rainiest day in area history — washed away all four lanes of Dale Boulevard, creating a chasm that prompted police officers to scramble at 4 a.m. to block off the major commuter route. The Virginia Department of Transportation expects the road to be closed for at least two more weeks.
The road washout followed a tornado May 8 that damaged 128 houses in nearby Stafford County. Harking back to his youth in the Midwest, Stewart said the county must explore sirens or similar methods.
“We really don’t have a good way of alerting people, of waking them up and letting them know something is happening,” Stewart said. “Next time we might not be so lucky.”
Given the county’s daunting budget struggles and the 338-square-mile coverage area, a siren system could be prohibitively expensive, but officials will pursue available options, County Executive Craig Gerhart said. The region is watching Alexandria and Arlington, where officials are studying the effectiveness of a $400,000 high-tech siren system.
Siren systems must be more specific than a blaring noise, said Robert Griffin, director of emergency management for Arlington.
“A siren wouldn’t mean anything to anybody; it’s not like the Midwest, where you know what needs to be done,” he said.
