Warning sirens

It's beneficial for communities in this area to have emergency warning sirens. Severe weather comes quickly, and alerts to those in the path of a storm or other emergency may save lives.

Storms in recent years have produced significant destruction. It's heart-wrenching to see homes destroyed and people's photos and other items in disarray.

It's very important that people remain safe.

The Cape Girardeau City Council is looking to help its neighbors with funding for sirens. An adjacent-community fund was established with the opening of the Isle Casino Cape Girardeau. A portion of the funds -- 3 percent from taxes and fees from casino operations -- will be shared by the city to help nearby towns. The fund was established in part as a matter of goodwill recognizing that casino attendees come from throughout the area.

About $78,000 could be shared with Jackson, Scott City and Cape Girardeau County to help with sirens, with the funds distributed based on population. A vote is planned for the next regularly scheduled council meeting.

In Cape Girardeau County, several towns and villages could benefit from these sirens. These include Burfordville, Daisy, Delta, Dutchtown, Egypt Mills, Friedheim, Fruitland, Gordonville, Millersville, New Wells, Oak Ridge, Old Appleton, Oriole, Pocahontas, Randles, Shawneetown, Tilsit and Whitewater. The funding from the city would help the county in its effort to raise matching funds that are required for a Federal Emergency Management Agency grant.

Cape Girardeau has four sirens and benefits from sirens on the Southeast Missouri State University campus. Four more sirens will be added in the city to help with areas not currently reached.

City manager Scott Meyer said it's important to remember that sirens are meant to alert those outside. While it may be possible the sirens can be heard inside a building, people should not solely depend upon them.

Other options such as emergency radios and text alerts offered by semissourian.com are good things to consider.

Meyer said that with the additional sirens, most of the highly populated areas of the city will be covered. The pending county sirens could help reach some of the outlying areas. The city, according to Meyer, will monitor the sirens' reach going forward.

We believe sharing the funds with Cape Girardeau's neighbors is the right decision. Cape Girardeau city government is to be commended for allocating a portion of casino revenue, which is largely driven from outside city boundaries, to other communities in the area.

Purchasing sirens is practical, and will benefit many people in this area.