Avondale Investing in Up to Two Tornado Sirens

If a tornado were to approach Avondale Estates, right now the city's only early warning system for residents is a calling tree and email alerts.

Avondale police officers have also been known to go door to door, which is unheard of in larger cities around the metro area.

Victims of the Joplin, Mo., tornado had just 20 minutes to take cover and two early warning sirens blared before it cut its six mile path through that city.

While Avondale City Manager Clai Brown said that the decision to invest in up to two early warning sirens isn't because of any recent storms, the timing is impeccable.

"I have been looking at getting one to two tornado sirens for the city for the past year," Brown said. "The recent storm had nothing to do with it. Right now the city does not have any warning device that would alert residents."

Brown said the sirens, which cost approximately $25,000, would benefit not only residents of Avondale, but surrounding communities such as Forrest Hills, Scottdale, and other unincorporated DeKalb neighborhoods in Decatur also would benefit.