Highland requests more time for tornado siren reports
The Highland Fire Department is still compiling maintenance reports on allegedly faulty tornado sirens during a March storm after some residents said they didn't hear sirens at all.
The Post-Tribune on April 30 filed via email an Access to Public Records Act request with the town asking for all fire inspection reports of town equipment between August 14, 2023 and April 30; and all written or electronic correspondence among Highland Fire Department members and Town Administrators about said reports during that same time. The dates capture the period immediately after Highland Fire Chief Bill Timmer died to the present.
Per Indiana Public Access rules, Highland Clerk-Treasurer Mark Herak responded within 24 hours that the town had received the request. The town then had seven business days — by May 9 — to either give the Post-Tribune an idea of when it could expect the request to be filled or explain under what code it's denying it.
Neither the town nor Town Attorney John Reed responded by end of business day May 9, so the Post-Tribune reached out to the town May 12 for the status of the request. On May 19, Interim Fire Chief Mike Pipta responded and said the department was 'in the process of compiling the information' and that they hoped to be finished by May 30.
On Friday afternoon, Pipta said via email, 'Unfortunately, we have not finished compiling the information you requested. We will give you an update in two weeks, June 13th.'
Four tornadoes ripped through Lake County the evening of March 19: two EF-0 tornadoes and one EF-1 tornado in Gary and one EF-0 tornado that hit in roughly the center of Highland. Some residents reported to the Highland Police Department that they may have heard sirens in the distance, while others didn't hear them at all, according to a HPD social media post March 21.
Because of that, Highland officials conducted a siren test at noon March 22, where they discovered two of the sirens were 'faulty,' a second social media post dated March 22 said. Additionally, they discovered an issue with communication to the Lake County E-911 Center, according to the post.
'The 911 Center is working on that issue and our vendor will be out Monday morning to fix the issue on our end,' the Highland Police Department post said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
3 days ago
- New York Post
NYC should brace for smoke from Canadian wildfires, but it won't affect residents how you think, expert says
New York City should brace for poor air quality and a hazy sky on Wednesday — but the less-than-stellar conditions can't all be blamed on the ongoing Canadian wildfires raging up north. The National Weather Service issued an air quality alert for all of the Big Apple and the rest of the tri-state area, warning people of certain ages or with health conditions to take it easy as they try to get through the middle of the work week. The hazardous air is expected to last between 11 a.m. and 11 p.m., but it can't be attributed to the smoke from the massive fires ripping through parts of Canada. 3 Smoke from Canadian wildfires will impact the air quality in NYC on Wednesday. via REUTERS Instead, plain old summer weather is the likely culprit. The combination of warm temperatures, lots of sunshine and little wind will worsen the air quality in the greater metro area, AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Carl Erickson told The Post. 'The Canadian wildfire smoke, that's more into the upper atmosphere, just kind of causing the sky to look hazy,' he said, noting the smoke isn't close enough to the surface to affect people's breathing. 'It'll be more visual,' making the sunrise and sunset look more vibrant, he added. He said air quality alerts will be a common sight over the summer months, especially in urban areas like the Big Apple. The fires north of the border led to rough conditions in parts of the Midwest, where some states have put out alerts that their air quality is 'very unhealthy.' 3 The wildfire smoke is expected to make the sky look hazy, AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Carl Erickson told the Post. Manitoba Government/AFP via Getty Images 3 Wildfires forced thousands of Canadians in three provinces to flee their homes. Manitoba Government/AFP via Getty Images The Minneapolis-St-Paul area reeked of smoke Tuesday, even as rain dampened some of the unbearable smell. More than 27,000 Canadians in three provinces were forced to flee their homes since last month, with the smoke even reaching some of Europe, causing hazy skies, but not unhealthy air. The city grappled with a surreal orange sky and awful air quality when smoke from Canadian wildfires descended on New York in June 2023. With Post wires.
Chicago Tribune
6 days ago
- Chicago Tribune
Highland requests more time for tornado siren reports
The Highland Fire Department is still compiling maintenance reports on allegedly faulty tornado sirens during a March storm after some residents said they didn't hear sirens at all. The Post-Tribune on April 30 filed via email an Access to Public Records Act request with the town asking for all fire inspection reports of town equipment between August 14, 2023 and April 30; and all written or electronic correspondence among Highland Fire Department members and Town Administrators about said reports during that same time. The dates capture the period immediately after Highland Fire Chief Bill Timmer died to the present. Per Indiana Public Access rules, Highland Clerk-Treasurer Mark Herak responded within 24 hours that the town had received the request. The town then had seven business days — by May 9 — to either give the Post-Tribune an idea of when it could expect the request to be filled or explain under what code it's denying it. Neither the town nor Town Attorney John Reed responded by end of business day May 9, so the Post-Tribune reached out to the town May 12 for the status of the request. On May 19, Interim Fire Chief Mike Pipta responded and said the department was 'in the process of compiling the information' and that they hoped to be finished by May 30. On Friday afternoon, Pipta said via email, 'Unfortunately, we have not finished compiling the information you requested. We will give you an update in two weeks, June 13th.' Four tornadoes ripped through Lake County the evening of March 19: two EF-0 tornadoes and one EF-1 tornado in Gary and one EF-0 tornado that hit in roughly the center of Highland. Some residents reported to the Highland Police Department that they may have heard sirens in the distance, while others didn't hear them at all, according to a HPD social media post March 21. Because of that, Highland officials conducted a siren test at noon March 22, where they discovered two of the sirens were 'faulty,' a second social media post dated March 22 said. Additionally, they discovered an issue with communication to the Lake County E-911 Center, according to the post. 'The 911 Center is working on that issue and our vendor will be out Monday morning to fix the issue on our end,' the Highland Police Department post said.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Yahoo
Triple-digit heat in forecast as California braces for scorching summer
Much of California is set for its first heat wave of the season, as weather experts predict several parts of the state could experience record-high temperatures. The surge of warmth is expected to sweep across the state, peaking on Friday, May 30. Temperatures could soar near or above 100 degrees in the warmest deserts and valleys this weekend, said Heather Zehr, a senior meteorologist with AccuWeather on May 27. "Really, this is the first widespread heat wave of the season," said Zehr, adding those areas are already under an extreme heat watch. "While there have been some heat cells, a couple of days here and there that's been shorter in duration, but in terms of the scope of the land area, this is the first." In California's Central Valley, triple digits are likely, as some locations could break daily records, according to the National Weather Service in Los Angeles. Redding is forecast to hit up to 109 degrees on May 30, which would tie the city's all-time May record set in 2021, the agency said. Sacramento also could reach a high of 105 degrees on May 30, and Bakersfield could see a high of 106 degrees on May 31, the weather service added. Other cities with the greatest chance of breaking record highs include Paso Robles, Ojai, Palmdale and Lancaster, the weather service said. "There is an increasing chance — 30% to 40% — of Friday's highs approaching or breaking calendar daytime record(s) across some valley and desert areas," the agency said in its May 27 forecast. The triple-digit temps could extend into eastern parts of the San Francisco Bay Area as well. "There's definitely a significant warm-up expected in those areas, especially this Friday and Saturday," said Ryan Kittell, a weather service meteorologist based in Los Angeles. The Climate Prediction Center forecasts above-normal temperatures across most of California by Friday, May 30. However, cooler temps are expected throughout California by next weekend, Kittell said. Hot, hot, hot: Here's what Old Farmer's Almanac is predicting for summer 2025 in California The anticipated post-Memorial Day weekend heat wave in California comes as the weather service's latest three-month outlook on May 15 predicted temperatures in June, July and August will be "above normal" this summer. ''Normal' is based on the average of all temperatures from 1991 to 2020,' the weather service said. Additionally, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Climate Prediction Center also predicts that this summer, California and the rest of the contiguous United States will experience above-average temperatures. Meteorological summer starts on June 1. And the astronomical summer, which is marked by the summer solstice, begins on June 20. A primer: All your questions about the 2025 hurricane season answered About 22.7 million Californians were living in areas affected by drought, according to a report released by the National Integrated Drought Information System on May 23. Overall, nearly 40% of California is experiencing drought conditions, with 18.3% classified as abnormally dry, 15.1% in moderate drought, 17.6% in severe drought, 7.0% in extreme drought and 0.1% in exceptional drought, a May 20 report said. "The drought is pretty much focused on the southern part of the state," Kittell said. "Most of California doesn't get much rain during the summer months, so for the vast majority of the state, it will be dry.". Weather Service working with less: First came the weather service staffing cuts. Then came the tornadoes. AccuWeather's Zehr also warns that the combination of intense to extreme heat, low humidity and dry vegetation could also increase the risk of wildfires sparking across the state. California is still recovering from the Palisades and Eaton fires, which swept through the Pacific Palisades and Altadena regions earlier this year, killing at least 29 and burning over 37,000 acres, or 57.8 square miles. The fires were fully contained in early February. They have been ranked as the second and third most destructive wildfires in California history, according to Cal Fire. "There may be an expansion of the short-term drought conditions, including areas with extreme or exceptional drought levels," Zehr said. "There hasn't been widespread, meaningful rainfall in California since mid- to late March, so fuels have had a chance to dry considerably over the past two months." Additionally, Zehr said there will be "a very dry air mass," along with the low relative humidity this weekend. "The high heat will help to make it even drier," Zehr said. "Gusty winds, while not reaching alarming levels, will also contribute to the dryness. These conditions will make it easier for fires to start and spread." (This story has been updated to add more information.) This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: California's first 'widespread' heat wave is coming this weekend
