HENRY COUNTY, Ga. — Henry County is changing its severe weather alert system.
Neighbors started questioning the process after a tornado touched down in the Laurel Creek subdivision on Thursday afternoon.
They said they did not hear outdoor sirens and did not get the warning on their phones through the county’s notification service until the storm already touched down and left two people hurt.
“It’s really unfortunate. It’s really sad,” said Dyamond Lindsay.
County leaders heard neighbors’ concerns and addressed them on Friday.
Now, when the National Weather Service sends out an alert for a specific neighborhood, Henry County Emergency Management will send that to everyone in the county signed up to receive notifications.
Before, the county sent it to specific areas facing the current threat.
The change will not affect when the county receives the National Weather Service alert. That part must come first.
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“When it hit, it hit, and we got a warning,” Henry County Fire Rescue Chief Pat Wilson said.
Wilson assessed the damage with the National Weather Service on Friday.
They confirmed the tornado impacted 13 homes, with 11 of them having moderate damage. Two of them are uninhabitable.
“There’s no doubt yesterday’s tornado was eye-opening,” Wilson said.
He shared reminders he noted while looking at the worst damage in the field.
“One room that seemed to have stood, or withstood, the storm was the interior closet,” Wilson said. “Know where you’re got to go, get to that safe place, make sure you have your helmets, pillow, blankets, things like that. Even keep that in your closet.”
He said that way, you will not have to gather it in the middle of a storm.
Wilson said county leaders had a meeting on Friday to discuss what disaster response protocols worked and what needed improvement.
He said they will do more of that next week.
The meetings involve agencies like fire, police, emergency management, and the Department of Transportation.
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