News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
One of Putnam County’s outdoor warning sirens failed to activate during a tornado drill Wednesday morning.
EMA Director Tyler Smith said the siren malfunctioned, but he doesn’t know the specific cause at this time.
“It could have been a lightening strike. We’ve had those to happen in the past and sometimes it will take a surge and take out the board,” Smith said. “That’s possibly what happened, but it is back up and working now.”
The siren is located on 15th and Brown Avenue in Cookeville. Smith said this isn’t the first time the siren has experienced problems.
“We test these every month so we know when they are working and when they are not,” Smith said. “That one particular siren has been having some issues. It had been down for a while and they got it back up and then it went down again.”
Smith said Cookeville Public Works made repairs to the siren Wednesday afternoon.
The county conducted the tornado drill as part of Severe Weather Awareness week.
