Tornado Sirens – A Possible Reconsideration in Beaufort County
Looks like the folks over in Beaufort County are once again considering the idea of installing tornado sirens. Why? There was a tornado touchdown on Lady’s Island recently, and despite previous plans for sirens getting dropped, there’s now talk of bringing them back.
A Peek into The Past
Back in 2010, the Beaufort County Council Members were presented with a plan to erect tornado sirens across the county. The idea wasn’t accepted though. Another attempt was made in 2016, with the idea of sourcing funds from a federal grant to cover costs. However, the result was same. Bummer! Seriously, nobody seems to want these tornado sirens.
Then, come 2019, things seemed to be on the up. There was a plan ready with a federal grant program, plus a contribution from the county. With this financial boost, the idea was to install 12 weather alert sirens all over Beaufort County. The federal grant would provide $333,000, with the remainder ($187,000) coming from local contribution. But before County Council could give the go-ahead, the COVID-19 pandemic happened. The financial strain of dealing with the pandemic foiled the plan. So, no sirens again!
Maybe It’s Time to Revisit
Fast-forward to now, and the County Council Chairman, Joseph Passiment, thinks it might be time to think again about the sirens, especially with tornado incidents in the area. To go ahead with the sirens plan though, a county committee would first have to research and discuss the matter before presenting it to the County Council.
Every year, the U.S. gets around 1,200 reported tornadoes. While the risk of a tornado in South Carolina is less compared to other regions like the Midwest, the recent touch down on Lady’s Island reminds us that they do happen. Tornadoes can crop up anytime, but most occur between 4 and 9 pm, so lets keep our fingers crossed that we don’t see any more twisters in Beaufort County anytime soon.
Records show there have only been three tornadoes in Beaufort County in the last decade. The tornado that hit Lady’s Island, an EF0, was only briefly touched down and reached 85 mph. Fortunately, nobody was hurt! But, getting a heads up about a twister – yeah, that might not be a bad idea.
In the past, tornado warnings were sent out via phone notifications from the National Weather Service. But those 12 tornado sirens that were considered in 2019 would’ve worked pretty much the same way – an automatic warning system activated by a notification from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Anyways, let’s wait and see what the county decides.
