WEATHER SYSTEM CONNECTS PERRY RESIDENTS

PERRYVILLE -- Thanks to an administrative brainstorm in Perry County, residents can get connected to a severe weather warning system.

According to Emergency Management Director Jack Lakenan, the idea for a county-wide system was born during a conversation with a Perry County Nursing Home employee. The employee wanted to know how the nursing home could be notified in the event of severe weather.

Lakenan, along with Chief Deputy Dan Bowman and Sheriff Gary Schaaf, researched a paging system from Ameritech. It is connected to a computer at the Sheriff's Department -- a computer that can page a group of people all at once.

People interested in the program may contact Ameritech representative Janice Compass at (573) 934-0902 and acquire an alpha-numeric pager compatible with the county system. Then they must contact the Sheriff's Department and ask to be added to the weather alert system.

There is no charge to be added to the system, but individuals will be responsible for leasing their own pagers.

When the National Weather Service and other agencies issue severe weather watches or warnings, the Sheriff's Department will send out the latest information over the paging system.