ELY—In the wake of severe flooding along the Guadalupe River in Texas, the Ely City Council reviewed the local emergency alert system during their Tuesday meeting, examining both current protocols and areas of possible improvement.
The city operates a siren system that uses distinct tones to alert residents to different types of emergencies. “So, for severe weather or tornado, the tone is constant it doesn’t go up or down, it’s just a steady tone,” explained Ryan Callen, second assistant chief, filling in for Fire Chief Dave Marshall. Fire emergencies are signaled differently, with tones that go up and down, Callen said.
Councilors inquired about the regularity of practice alerts, with Police Chief Chad Houde indicating that tests are typically conducted on “the first Wednesday of every month at 1 p.m.” However, officials acknowledged room for improvement in their testing schedule. “We could be better at it, I’ll be honest. There’s times that we do miss it, but yes. Generally, the first one,” Houde said. “It’s something that I’ll talk to the emergency manager about and we’ll make sure we get on the same page and make sure that we’re doing these alerts more often.”
The council also acknowledged how emergency alerts have evolved with technology. Clerk/Treasurer Harold Langowski described recent experiences with mobile emergency alerts during storms in other cities.
“I think now with a lot of the systems … if there is a severe weather warning with a possibility of tornadoes, your phone makes the most god-awful siren noise that awake you from the dead. I’ve been in two big storms in the last month, one in Bemidji and another one in Minneapolis and in the middle of the night. And yet, all three phones in our room went off.”
Ely’s current emergency alert system was installed during the 2014 City Hall renovation and provides substantial coverage for the area.
“It is a very good, a very loud siren, especially for those that may be close to City Hall or in City Hall when it goes off,” Langowski said.
The system’s reach extends well beyond the immediate city center.
“I think you can hear it all the way to Winton. So, we’re letting people in Winton know when there’s a fire call or if there’s a tornado as well,” he added.
Regional Trailhead building
The new trailhead facility at the city’s west entrance has been deemed substantially complete, according to records from the architectural firm. The council accepted the documents Tuesday. This facility will serve as a trail head for the David Dill Taconite Snowmobile Trail, Prospector’s Loop ATV Trail, and Mesabi Trail.
Councilor Adam Bisbee said the Parks and Recreation department was planning a grand opening for August 27 from 5-7 p.m.
“We’ll have vendors, dignitaries. It’s going to be quite the event,” he said.