CITY OF SAN MARCOS
With the storms that occurred across Hays County throughout the week, which triggered flash flood warnings, many could hear the city of San Marcos’ Outdoor Warning System; but was everyone aware of what those alarms meant?
The city of San Marcos posted to their Facebook additional information about the warning system following its initial use on Monday.
“Last night, for the first time since San Marcos’ Outdoor Warning System became fully operational last summer, the siren was activated. The alert came from the Na- tional Weather Service in response to a Flash Flood Warning in our area,” the city stated in the post. “There were three separate alerts issued during the night, all triggering the siren. Because this was the first weather-related activation, we understand that many residents were surprised and concerned, especially those who assumed the siren meant a tornado warning.”
The city encouraged everyone to:
• Sign up for local emergency alerts through Warn Central Texas at warncentraltexas.org
• Familiarize yourself with the different warning tones found at sanmarcostx. go/4434/Outdoor- Waring-System
• If a siren is heard, check a trusted source like the National Weather Service or the local news station for details about the warning.
“The sirens will omit tones to indicate that an
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imminent threat is detected, either automatically through the National Weather Service or manually as determined by emergency management personnel,” according to the city’s website.
There are different tones for each emergency category, including:
• Tornado warning: single pitch that is a long and steady tone for three minutes
• Wildland fire: alternates between high and low tones for three minutes • Public safety threat: wave-like pitch that will change in tone every 16 seconds for a total of three minutes. These threats could include flooding, hazardous materials spills or other emergencies.
“Public safety alerts could be a flash flood warning like last night, a hazmat spill, a train derailment or other emergency. Those alerts can also be geolocated to the towers closest to the incident,”
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an official with the city of San Marcos stated, adding that residents would also receive the alerts and warnings on their phones.
The city conducts regular growl testing, which takes place at 12 p.m. on the first Saturday of every month.
“During the testing, residents may hear a low growling noise emitted from the sirens,” the city website stated. “In the event of inclement weather, testing will be rescheduled.”
The website states that the warning system includes 14 outdoor sirens located throughout San Marcos. They are primarily used for city-wide emergencies but can be activated individually as well.
Find more information at sanmarcostx.gov/4434/ Outdoor-Warning-Sys tem.
A map of the locations of the 14 sirens that make up the Outdoor Warning System. Siren locations are denoted by the dark-colored siren symbols. Data was sourced from the city of San Marcos and Google Maps. Street and siren locations are approximate. Daily Record graphic designed by Megan Myles
