Warning sirens in Keokuk County malfunction

Keokuk County officials are investigating the reason some of its tornado sirens didn’t work Friday

The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for Keokuk County at 5:54 a.m. Friday as a severe squall line capable of producing tornadoes and extensive straight-line winds moved northeast into Keokuk County from Poweshiek County.

Keokuk County Communications Center began setting off sirens in the Keokuk County communities immediately after.

Unfortunately, some sirens did not function as expected during the storm, Keokuk Emergency Management said in a press release.

“We are looking into every possible reason they did not go off and are working together with the cities to ensure they are fixed as soon as possible to prevent this from occurring again,” says Jorie Altenhofen, Keokuk County Emergency Management Coordinator, in the press release.

Residents of Keokuk County are encouraged to sign up for ALERT Iowa at Smart911.com to get the most up-to-date alerts for severe weather in their area.

For more information, visit the Keokuk County Iowa Emergency Management Facebook page or website, keokukcounty.iowa.gov/.