Iowa mom plans to run for mayor to get a tornado siren for her town

Athena Valdez was spurred into politics by silence.

Her town doesn't have an outdoor warning siren, which the mother of two young children says is a risky decision in  state frequently hit by tornadoes.

“It's better to have a chance to make it out than no chance at all,” said Valdez, 30.

Valdez plans to run for mayor of Melbourne, a town of 830 in Marshall County, to push for installing a siren. The town's previous mayor, Stanley Randall, died last month at age 86.

Melbourne leaders have chosen not to install an outdoor warning siren, Marshall County Emergency Manager Kim Elder said.

“Sirens aren't a priority,” Elder said. “Most people can look to the sky. If there are black clouds, they can go in.”

Elder believes weather radios, which can be used indoors or taken to the ballgame or on a bike ride, are a better warning system because they allow for personal preparedness rather than reliance on an expensive community siren.

Valdez disagrees.

She's been working with Rep. Dan Kelley, D-Newton, on a bill that would require all Iowa cities to have an emergency warning system that consists of at least an outdoor siren. The initiative would provide $15 million over three years to help cities pay for sirens, which range in price from $10,000 to $25,000.

House File 408 did not come up for a vote in the 2013 legislative session, Kelley said, but he plans to promote it again next year.

“I was absolutely shocked there were communities without sirens,” he said.

A May 19 Gazette and KCRG-TV9 investigation showed several eastern Iowa communities do not have public outdoor warning sirens.

The largest is the Amana Colonies, which attracts more than 500,000 visitors a year for festivals, winery visits and shopping. About 1,500 people live in the seven villages without a central government – and without a public siren.

A private siren at the Whirlpool plant in Middle Amana can be used for outdoor warning, but it is at least three miles from the tourist area.

Sirens are intended for outdoor warning only. As more Americans work indoors and nearly 90 percent of homes have central air conditioning, emergency managers say additional means of storm warning are necessary.

The next big thing is the Wireless Emergency Alert, offered since April 2012 on phones capable of receiving broadcast messages.

The alerts are sent via broadcast from cell towers near where the emergency is occurring so every phone in the geographic area gets the message.

Unlike text messages that can be slowed by heavy cell phone use, broadcast alerts are received instantly on all capable phones. Some people are concerned the alerts will be too broad in rural areas and cause people to tune out.

Many Iowa communities are still investing in sirens.

Linn County is among 17 agencies in the state that recently received $855,823 for sirens from the Iowa Homeland Security Hazard Mitigation Program. The federal government pays three-quarters of the cost, with the state and the county splitting the rest.

The Melbourne City Council plans to appoint a new mayor to finish Randall's term, set to end Dec. 31, deputy clerk Deb Mercer said. Elections for a new mayor will take place in November. Valdez has indicated her interest in being mayor and will be considered for appointment, Mercer said.