Cherokee County Awarded Grant for Countywide Outdoor Warning Siren System

CHEROKEE COUNTY, N.C. — Cherokee County has been awarded funding through the Next Generation Warning Systems Grant to begin developing a countywide outdoor warning siren system, officials announced.

The FEMA-funded program is administered by North Carolina Emergency Management. The award stems from a collaborative effort led by Cherokee County Emergency Management, with support from the county’s grant specialist, County Administration, the Cherokee County Board of Commissioners, Cherokee County Schools, Tri-County Community College, the towns of Murphy and Andrews, Murphy Power Board and Blue Ridge Mountain EMC.

The first phase will focus on outdoor warning coverage in areas where large groups of people regularly gather. Those locations include the downtown areas of Andrews and Murphy, recreation parks, high school campuses, Tri-County Community College and the area around Erlanger Western Carolina Hospital.

Specific installations in the initial phase include:

• Town of Murphy: two tone-and-voice warning sirens and two digital stream gauges

• Town of Andrews: two tone-and-voice warning sirens and two digital stream gauges

• Tri-County Community College: one tone-only warning siren

• Hiwassee Dam High School: one tone-only warning siren

Officials emphasized that the sirens are designed primarily to warn people who are outdoors. While a siren may sometimes be heard indoors, that is not its intended purpose. Residents are encouraged to continue using multiple methods to receive emergency information and alerts.

The system is designed to be expandable. Additional communities, watersheds, businesses, schools and other locations may later add compatible sirens and join the coordinated countywide network.

County Emergency Management staff said the project reflects ongoing collaboration among local government, municipalities, schools, utilities, emergency personnel and community partners aimed at keeping residents informed and prepared during emergencies. Officials noted that the grant is one example of efforts to bring state and federal resources back to Cherokee County.

Additional details on implementation will be released as the project advances.