Blue Earth County’s tornado siren woes are over — for now.
Mankato-area sirens working again; faulty phone line caused failed test
Blue Earth County is working on a backup system in case the sirens fail in the future.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
May 3, 2024 at 8:19PM
Another siren test in the Mankato area Friday proved successful after county officials determined a faulty phone line interfered with the siren system earlier this week.
According to the Blue Earth County Sheriff’s Office, the phone line’s intermittent interference blocked the siren system’s signal during Wednesday’s monthly outdoor siren test.
“Blue Earth County remains committed to the safety of our residents and is working with service providers to develop and implement a backup system to prevent similar issues in the future,” Capt. Paul Barta of the Sheriff’s Office wrote in a release Friday afternoon.
None of the county’s sirens worked on Wednesday, including sirens Blue Earth County oversees in nearby North Mankato, part of Nicollet County. The county had other warning systems, including federal Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) text messaging, in case there was severe weather while the sirens were offline.
The governor said it may be 2027 or 2028 by the time the market catches up to demand.
