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Severe weather to strike, people prepare for the worst

8 years 2 weeks 5 days ago Wednesday, March 09 2016 Mar 9, 2016 March 09, 2016 11:09 PM March 09, 2016 in News
Source: WBRZ
By: Kristen Althouse

ST. JAMES - With a severe weather system moving into the area ,  some people are concerned about alert systems for tornadoes.

While this storm isn't expected to be as bad as the one two weeks ago, people say it's best to be prepared.

     East and West Baton Rouge, Livingston, Ascension and St. James parishes use text alerts or smart phone apps to warn residents of tornadoes. Only Ascension and St. James have parish-controlled warning sirens, but those are only used in chemical --  plant-related -- emergencies.

     St. James parish is where tornadoes caused the most damage on February 23rd. Two people were killed when the twister trashed an RV Park in Convent. Resident Stephen Breaux said they had little to no warning before it arrived.

     "All of a sudden it got real quiet and i hear birds chirping, the sun come out a little bit, and i said, that's not good," said Breaux. "I just put my phone in my pocket, I grabbed the counter and I hoped for the best."

     St. James has 55-solar-powered sirens scattered throughout the parish.
     After February's weather event, the parish is now considering using those as tornado warning sirens in the future.

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