Counties across the Wabash Valley pushing new weather alert systems
Recently, Greene County has introduced a new reverse 911 system, where residents can be alerted at the tips of their fingers.
'This is the wave of the future,' said Greene County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) Director, Rodger Axe. 'Reverse 911, we will call you if there's a tornado or maybe some other things with an automated call and give you the warning.'
The new implemented system allows county residents receive alerts straight to their phone, whenever and wherever they are.
'They can take their warning on their cell phone with them wherever they go. If they're inside shopping, at an athletic event like a ball game, they can get the warning. Or if they travel, they can get the warning on what's going on back home.'
Thanks to cutting edge technology, Vigo County has also introduced a high-tech alert system called Nixel, ensuring residents have constant communication during severe weather.
'With the invent of cellphones, emergency warning system is automatically coming across your phone,' said Vigo County Emergency Management Agency Director, Dorene Hojnicki. 'Between X and Facebook, it's constant.'
With these new alert systems in place, emergency management across different counties say these systems are more cost efficient and effective than tornado sirens.
'Tornado sirens are extremely costly,' said Axe. 'What we would pay for a siren, we can provide about four to five years of coverage with Reverse 911, so it's cost effective.'
For both Greene County and Vigo County, the alert systems are completely free for anyone to sign up.
'There's no cost to the community members themselves. All you got to remember do is just sign up and you really can choose what entities you want to get additional messaging and warnings from,' said Hojnicki.
Since March, the National Weather Service has confirmed 12 tornadoes have touched down across the Wabash Valley. Ultimately, damaging homes, properties, and impacting communities across the area.
With the alert systems in place, the best thing anyone and everyone can do across the Wabash Valley is have a plan.
'That's the key, being prepared,' said Chief Meteorologist Jesse Walker. 'You can't stop the weather you know some people are scared by storms. But I always say there no reason to be scared as long as you have a plan.'
Vigo County residents can sign up for weather alerts on Nixel here.
Residents of Greene County can enroll in Reverse 911 system here.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
20 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Gifford Fire, California's largest wildfire of the year, nears 100,000 acres
The state's largest wildfire of the year so far, burning in central California, was expected to surpass the 100,000-acre mark this weekend. The Gifford Fire has scorched about 99,232 acres of San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties with just 15% containment as of Friday afternoon, according to a Cal Fire incident report. The fire broke out last Friday along Highway 166, prompting evacuations. Four firefighters and three civilians had been injured as of Friday afternoon, and nearly 3,000 structures were threatened by the fire, Cal Fire said. In a Friday morning update, officials said the blaze expanded rapidly on Thursday due to high winds on the northwest corner, pushing towards Garcia Wilderness area within the national forest. Crews on Friday planned to continue building control lines to contain the new growth, officials said. 'That's our priority for this fire today,' Spencer Andreis, operations section chief with the U.S. Forest Service, said Friday morning in a Facebook video. On the east and west sides of the blaze, firefighters will continue mopping up while other crews work to secure the southern edge, officials said. What caused the fire was still under investigation as of Friday.
Miami Herald
a day ago
- Miami Herald
Lightning strike rattles alligator farm in Florida. The gators weren't fazed
Of all places, lightning dared to strike a lagoon full of large alligators in Florida, officials say. It happened Aug. 6 at St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park in St. Augustine after the park was closed for the day, and the lack of witnesses means no one knows for sure if the alligators threw a fit. But more importantly, all the fences held, the park reports. 'News Alert. Alligators are contained,' the farm wrote in an Aug. 7 Facebook post. 'Our largest oak tree in the center lagoon ... appears to have fallen from lightning damage, and it's a miracle no alligators were hurt.' Lightning can reach 50,000 degrees, which some Floridians swear is the average temperature there during the summer. Photos of the aftermath show the lagoon's 27 adult alligators were found lounging around the debris as if nothing happened. The largest of them is about 13.5 feet, the park says. News of the lightning strike generated more than 1,600 reactions and comments on Facebook within 24 hours, some noting it's no accident that alligators 'survived for so many centuries.' 'Getting in there with a chainsaw for cleanup should be ... interesting, haha. Good luck,' Jake Harper wrote on the park's Facebook page. Some of the park's shows, such as the gator feeding, were moved until the damage could be assessed and cleared, officials said. 'The alligators were not bothered by all of our activity and quickly got out of the way as we started cleaning up,' the park told McClatchy News in an email. St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park is considered 'a quintessential Florida attraction' and is an accredited zoo. There are around 800 alligators at the farm and 24 species of crocodilians overall in the park. Among the attractions are zip-line rides 'across the Alligator Lagoon on Crocodile Crossing,' the park says. The farm is about a 40-mile drive south from Jacksonville.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
TV Meteorologist's On-Air Gesture Goes Viral for All the Right Reasons
TV Meteorologist's On-Air Gesture Goes Viral for All the Right Reasons originally appeared on Parade. A Minnesota meteorologist is sending the internet into a frenzy over a move he made in the middle of a live broadcast. Nick Jansen of KTTC News was seen texting his wife during a live weather report on July 28, when severe storms were blowing through the Rochester, Minn., region. In the now-viral clip, Jansen can be seen pulling out his phone while live on air to check on his wife and ensure that she and their infant child had taken shelter before the storm. 🎬SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox🎬 After the video went viral, Jansen spoke out on social media in a July 30 Facebook post to address backlash from viewers who deemed his gesture as an "unprofessional" move during a live broadcast. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Catch Up! (@catchupfeed) "I don't usually post things like this, but after nearly 3 hours of storm coverage Monday night, I wanted to share a quick thought," Jansen began his post. "I received an email telling me how unprofessional I was during my coverage. The quote that really struck me: 'That he has to call his wife to make sure she takes the baby to safety? Maybe some people think it's noble or cute. I don't.'" Jansen went on to explain, "I take my job and your safety very seriously. But I'm also a husband and a father." "In the middle of severe weather, I decided to take a brief moment to make sure my wife and child were safely in the basement," he continued. "That's not me being unprofessional, it's me being human. I am a husband and a father FIRST." "Let's all try to show each other a little more understanding and respect in life," he concluded his post. Meanwhile, tons of fans rushed to the comments to send their support to Jansen, with several commenters applauding him for doing "the right thing" as a husband and father. "Any meteorologist should feel comfortable doing this in extreme situations," one user pointed out. "You took 5 seconds while someone else was talking to check on your family during severe weather," another user added. "Trolls will troll. Carry on brother."TV Meteorologist's On-Air Gesture Goes Viral for All the Right Reasons first appeared on Parade on Aug 6, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Aug 6, 2025, where it first appeared.
