Public Notice OWS System

There are four outdoor weather sirens within the Sanger City limits. On 5-21-2024, two of those OWS sirens were functioning (located at McClains and Wagon Master), and two were not. The OWS at Porter Park had been broken into, and a radio stolen from it. The OWS at Wagon Master was struck by lightning and failed to respond to the daily computer polling of the devices. After severe storms covered a large portion of Denton County on Tuesday morning, another OWS received damage. That leaves only one OWS currently working (McClains). Repairs have been requested, but it will take some time.

While Outdoor Warning Sirens are one way to receive notice of impending danger, they are only designed to be heard if you are outside of your residence. The Outdoor Warning Systems are known by many as “tornado sirens” or just “sirens.” However, it is important to understand that the Outdoor Warning System is designed for all hazards. As the name implies, the system is designed for people that are outdoors. Those who are indoors may not be able to hear the OWS for various reasons (radio or television is on, vacuum cleaner going, etc.). The OWS should only be used as a supplemental warning tool for individuals. OWS can be used to alert citizens of tornadoes, hail, hazardous material incidents, civil emergencies, and any other impending hazard that could adversely affect the lives and property in the general vicinity. When an Outdoor Warning System is activated, remain calm and go to a safe shelter indoors. Then, tune into your NOAA All Hazards Radio, local television. or radio for further instructions. Remain indoors until the emergency has ended.

The SANGER FIRE DEPARTMENT encourages the use of any of the following notification forms:

MOBILE APPS WITH LOCAL ALERT FUNCTIONS

FEMA APP: Stay updated with severe weather alerts from the National Weather Service for up to five locations across the U.S.; learn how to stay safe before, during, and after over 20 types of hazards; save a custom list of the items in your family’s emergency kit; and locate and receive driving directions to open shelters and disaster recovery centers. Using the Disaster Reporter feature, you can also submit disaster-related photos to a public map. The FEMA App is also available in Spanish. Download the app to your mobile device or smartphone free on iTunes or Google Play. Learn more at www.fema.gov/mobile-app.

AMERICAN RED CROSS APP: The Red Cross Emergency app combines more than 35 different types of severe weather and emergency alerts. You can choose the alerts that are important to your location or the location of loved ones. The “Family Safe” feature allows you to notify loved ones that an alert has been issued in their area and check to see if they are safe. The app also offers information on what to do before, during, and after severe weather hits and how to find open Red Cross Shelters. All content is also available in Spanish. You can download the app to your mobile device or smartphone free on iTunes (Apple-iOS 6.0 or later) and Google Play (Android). Learn more at www.redcross.org/prepare/mobile-apps.

THE WEATHER CHANNEL APP: Tracks weather, provides local forecasts, and pushes alerts of severe weather to your mobile device. The app can be downloaded free on iTunes (Apple iOS 6.0 or later), Google Play (Android), App World (BlackBerry), and Windows Phone at www.weather.com/apps.

DENTON COUNTY ALERTS: Please sign up for Denton County Alerts to receive timely and critical messages to your choice of communications methods, including landline, cellular, text, E-mail, and TTY devices. Do not rely on social media as your only source of critical information. The Denton County FIPS Code for your radio is 48121.

NOAA ALL HAZARDS RADIO: NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards (NWR) is a nationwide network of radio stations broadcasting continuous weather information directly from the nearest National Weather Service office. NWR broadcasts official Weather Service warnings, watches, forecasts, and other hazardous information 24 hours a day, seven days a week. www.weather.gov/nwr

WAPP APP: Dallas FTW Weather: Live Interactive Radar, Storm watches & warnings, hourly forecasts, 10-day outlook, closings, and more—all on FOX 4’s FREE Weather App.