The weather sirens are sounding! What does this mean??

During times of severe weather in Big Canoe a Weather warning siren can be activated to alert nearby residents of imminent severe weather and the need to take cover. Big Canoe has one siren and it is located in the Marina Parking lot of the south Marina. This siren is operated by the Pickens County 911 center and is only activated upon the National Weather Service issuing a Tornado Warning for Pickens County. The siren once activated sounds for one minute and stops alarming. The siren in Big Canoe can be heard on a clear day approximately 1 mile in all directions, however rain and thunder sometimes decrease the distance that the sirens can be heard.

The tornado sirens in Pickens County are being phased out. Tornado sirens are an old technology and are extremely expensive and very costly to repair. There are better and more effective ways to contact residents than the tornado sirens. Pickens and Dawson Counties have both implemented new reverse- 911 systems that both will call your residence and any additional numbers entered into the system in the event of severe weather in your area. Both Counties highly recommend signing up for these programs by visiting the websites listed below.

Dawson County Residents

www.dawsoncounty.org

Look for the SwiftReach 911 Notification Icon on the homepage.

Pickens County Residents

www.pickenscountyga.gov

Look for the CODE RED Notification Icon on the homepage.