The Howard County 911 Board has officially voted to change its tornado siren policy. Upon receiving notice from the National Weather Service of a tornado warning for any location in Howard County, all sirens will be activated in Fayette, Glasgow, New Franklin, and Armstrong.

The policy change reflects a recent issue where sirens did not sound in Fayette, even though a tornado warning had been issued here. Director Sherri Beeler said the mistake was human error made amid confusion as NWS warnings were issued.

Sirens went off in New Franklin where the original warnings were issued. However, a second warning for souther Howard County included a warning for Fayette, which was inadvertently overlooked.

The 911 board urged that sirens are for outdoor warning only, and enouraged citizens to sign up for telephone alerts issued during periods of severe weather.

“Thank you for your understanding as we are moving forward to better serve the citizens of Howard County,” the board said in an announcement on Monday.

Anyone may register to receive free Rave Emergency Notifications at smart911.com. These notifications can be sent to landline phones, mobile phones, or through email. Anyone who needs help signing up may contact the Howard County Emregency Management office at (660) 248-1111 for further assistance.