Jim Wells County sirens aim to warn residents of severe weather, hazmat risks

Jim Wells County and the City of Alice operate eight outdoor warning sirens that are meant to sound when severe weather is approaching or a hazardous materials emergency threatens local neighborhoods. The system covers Alice, Ben Bolt-Green Acres and Tecolote, and the sirens are activated and monitored from a computerized system in the City of Alice Communications Center.

One siren sits south of Alice in the Ben Bolt-Green Acres area, six are spread across the City of Alice, and one stands in Tecolote north of Alice on County Road 120 west of Highway 281. That layout matters for households across the county, because the warning network is not a broad concept on paper but a fixed set of local devices tied to specific communities and roads.

The sirens are outdoor warnings, not a substitute for phone alerts, weather radios, television or emergency texts inside a home or vehicle. When one sounds, residents should move quickly to shelter, check official weather sources and follow county or city emergency guidance. The tone is only the first signal that something dangerous may be developing, and it does not provide detailed instructions for what to do next.

Jim Wells County’s all-hazards guide makes that expectation even clearer: “the first 72 hours are up to you.” The guide also lays out hurricane hazards, STEAR special-needs planning, power outages, generator use, thunderstorms, heat emergencies, cold-weather recommendations and tornado safety, showing that the sirens are only one part of a larger emergency plan for the county.

For more information, Jim Wells County Emergency Management Coordinator Lance Brown is listed at 361-668-5803. His office is at 200 N. Almond Street, Ste. B-109, Alice, Texas 78332, placing the county’s emergency-management hub near the communications center that controls the sirens and the rest of the local warning system.