Voters in the Oklahoma City suburb of Norman are going to the polls today to decide on a proposed $2.2 million general obligation bond proposal that would update and expand the city’s emergency warning system.
David Grizzle, the city’s emergency management coordinator, said a significant portion of Norman’s 37 tornado warning sirens do not work when the system is activated.
The existing system does not cover the entire city, according to Grizzle, but does provide alerts to most of the populated areas.
According to the National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office in Norman, there were 77 tornadoes in Oklahoma in 2008 and 17 in 2009. The state has seen a total of 3,154 twisters since 1950.
If approved by voters, the bonds would finance the purchase of 60 new sirens and the modification and repositioning of 17 existing sirens.
The bond proposal also includes $19 million for street improvements.
