Emergency Management reports tornado responses, 4,200 county customers without power and ongoing siren upgrades

The St. Joe County Emergency Management director, joined by deputy director Jim Lopez, briefed commissioners on the county’s response to a severe-weather event that included tornado warnings and confirmed tornadoes in nearby areas.

The director said the National Weather Service had tracked the system and that weather services organized a multi-county tornado warning area. "We have about 4,200 customers without power in our county. Anticipated time to get it back up is tomorrow at 6 o'clock," the Emergency Management director said.

He credited early siren activation with giving residents more notice but acknowledged reports that two outdoor warning sirens did not operate in parts of the county. Commissioners and staff discussed the need to inspect and repair nonfunctioning sirens in subdivisions with vulnerable populations (for example, Fox Run, Primrose at Old Cleveland, Westwood Hills and St. Augustine). The director said upgrading the siren network is being funded through ARP allocations and noted a separate repair fund of about $28,000 for piecemeal fixes while the full upgrade is implemented.

Staff described supply delays and a vendor shift from Motorola radios to Kenwood models that has slowed the county’s overhaul of roughly 67 sirens. The director said staff will prioritize sirens and call the contractor to pursue immediate repairs; commissioners asked that staff return next week with an update after speaking with the contractor.

Deputy director Jim Lopez provided local damage reports and the director referenced partner jurisdictions’ conditions, including confirmed small tornadoes in nearby counties and at least one fatality in a neighboring area.