Five of the 110 new tornado-warning sirens in Chicago did not work during a Tuesday morning test and will be repaired soon, an official at the city’s Office of Emergency Communications said.
Four of the malfunctioning sirens did not have enough power, said Greg Bishop, executive director of the office, who added that he did not know why the fifth siren failed. Two of the inoperable sirens are downtown, one is on the Far Northwest Side, another is on the Far Southwest Side and the fifth is on the Far Southeast Side, he said.
Twelve of the sirens did not work during the first test of the new, $2.3 million system on April 24.
If a tornado is approaching, the sirens will wail for three minutes in a pitch that goes up and down, he said. When tested, the sirens produce a steady, 30-second tone, he said. The city plans to test the siren system at 10 a.m. on the first Tuesday of each month.CHICAGO
