Texarkana upgrades outdoor emergency sirens

TEXARKANA, TX. (KTAL/KMSS)—The City of Texarkana is updating its outdoor emergency warning system, which alerts the community to tornadoes, hazardous chemical spills, and other public safety threats.

“Over the next few months, ten brand new outdoor warning sirens will be installed across the city—replacing some that have been in service since 1978. With an enhanced control system, we’ll be able to quickly alert residents in case of severe weather or other emergencies, ” explained the City of Texarkana, Texas.

The City of Texarkana, Arkansas, also plans to upgrade its sirens in the future and will be able to connect to our system for even better city-wide coverage.

“As a side note, we want to point out that these outdoor sirens aren’t just for tornadoes – they help warn about hazardous weather, chemical spills, and other public safety threats. If you hear them going off, you want to immediately check out the local news outlets, our social media pages, or NOAA apps/radio for more information about keeping you and your family safe.”

The Texarkana, Texas Police Department recently changed its emergency phone/text notification system to Hyper Reach. “Anyone who lives, works, or plays in Bowie County or Texarkana, Texas, can register for free online. Included in our plan are automatic notifications to your phone by call or text message whenever the NWS issues a severe weather warning that includes the address you registered. It only takes about a minute to enter your information in the system, and then you’re done. We strongly encourage everyone to take advantage of this free service in our community.”