Georgia Small Town Upset Over Warning Siren Placement
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DORAVILLE, GA (CBSDFW.COM) -- Here in north Texas residents are used to the sights and sounds of tornado sirens in their neighborhood. But according to CBS 46 in Atlanta, some citizens in one small Georgia town think the devices are too close to some homes.
Two-mile-wide Doraville, GA recently installed three sirens in that community.
One homeowner, Debra Crowell was surprised when she noticed the siren erected less than 30 feet from where she lives. "I was like, 'Oh my God, that is such a monster. How could they do this?'" Crowell told CBS 46. She said she was also concerned that the noise will hurt people and pets.
According to the Doraville, GA City Manager Shawn Gillen – when turned on – the sirens can be as loud as 129 decibels. The CDC says that 112 decibels for one minute can cause damage to people's hearing.
But Gillen said the height of the siren means residents are not getting the full force of that sound. "The tower is 45 feet in the air. The homes are lower than that, and the sound flows over their house," Gillen said.
Another resident expressed concern about the sound. "The manufacturer says that this noise pressure can be maintained at 100 feet so these houses are well within 100 feet of that noise level and to know that and still put the sirens in our neighborhoods and in front of our neighbors homes I think is unconscionable," said Tim Snyder.
According to CBS 46, Gillen said topography, utilities and trees limited where they could place the sirens.
City officials siad the sirens will be tested once a month for twelve seconds at a time.
According to Doraville City Council member Robert Patrick, at all of four public hearings about the sirens, nobody objected to the placement of the siren near Crowell's home.
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