Robinson is getting 6 new emergency sirens after operating without any working warning system for roughly a year and a half. The sirens have arrived and installation is expected to begin this week.
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Robinson Police Chief Larry Adams said the city currently has no working emergency sirens, a fact that surprised neighbor Michael Marascia.
"I was unaware that we did not have any," Marascia said.
The city previously relied on 2 sirens that were over 50 years old, but both have since been taken down. During that time, a significant storm passed through with no way to alert residents.
"We did have a pretty bad storm a few months ago. There was no way for the city to warn the residents of the potential for dangerous weather. Luckily nothing happened that day," Adams said.
Robinson City Council approved the purchase of the 6 new sirens in February. The sirens were paid for through the city's general fund.
"This is a significant investment from the city in the safety of our community," Adams said.
The 6 sirens will be installed at the following locations:
"2 of the new sirens will go in the place of the old ones and then we'll be adding 4 throughout the city for coverage throughout the city," Adams said.
The new sirens will tie into the Waco system controlled by McLennan County Emergency Management and will automatically sound when there's dangerous weather.
"they are automatic. So when the National Weather Service puts out a tornado alert, any siren in the projected path of that tornado will automatically sound. So that alleviates a human having to activate them," Adams said.
Marascia said the upgrade is much needed.
"It's really good. It's important that the community has an early warning device for tornadoes, it gives people an opportunity to shelter and take cover as they need," Marascia said.
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