Iroquois County EMA reports four tornadoes in December; public questions siren delays

Scott Anderson, Iroquois County EMA director, told the county board that a Dec. 28 severe-weather event produced four confirmed tornadoes across northern parts of the county. Anderson said damage assessments have been coordinated with the National Weather Service in Chicago and that the storms produced no reported injuries or fatalities.

Board members and members of the public raised concerns about delays in local siren activation. Anderson said the local sirens sounded between 4 and 7 minutes after official National Weather Service warnings were issued. He said he has discussed the delays with the ETS director and is continuing work on the county’s Emergency Operations Plan and a long-term recovery committee meeting scheduled for Jan. 14.

Anderson also reported that new emergency center equipment has been installed and that an open-house will be scheduled once the redesigned Emergency Operations Center is complete.

Next steps: EMA will continue the damage-assessment process with the National Weather Service, refine the Emergency Operations Plan and investigate the reasons for siren activation delays with ETS staff.