Following the events of late April, when tornadoes ripped a path through a majority of Alabama, killing hundreds, Dallas County is working to be as prepared as it can if similar tragedy ever comes calling.

As a start, Dallas County Emergency Management Agency director Rhonda Abbott said her office is checking sirens in the county to make sure they are in working order.

Abbott said citizens have already let them know there is one siren that is not functioning properly.

“We had a report from the citizens of Lazy Acres that they couldn’t hear the siren during the storm,” she said. “We went out there and checked it and the siren was working, but it wasn’t rotating.”

Abbott said the siren will be checked and if it is only a belt, it will be repaired.

“If it is a belt, it can be replaced while they are up there because they have the part,” she said. “If not, it can get a little costly.”

Wind damage is suspected as the cause of the malfunction, which means the repairs could be filed under the county’s insurance. However, Abbott said the repairs would probably cost around $750, which is less than the deductible.

The county, Abbott said, also received grants to help place more sirens within the county. Abbott said the money will be used to place sirens at Five Points Elementary School, Salem Elementary School, Shiloh Elementary School and Paul M. Grist State Park. The siren at Grist will be placed on County Road 37, not inside the park.

The grant will pay for 75 percent of the project with a 25 percent, or $20,000, match from the county. The match, Dallas County Probate Judge Kim Ballard said, is a small price to pay considering the value of the sirens.

“It’s a great deal,” he said. “I think it’s $20,000 well-spent because we are getting $80,000 worth of sirens.”

The next step in storm preparation, Abbott said, will be adding additional shelters. The state of Alabama is receiving funds to provide shelters, and the county will need to let officials in Montgomery know they are interested in adding to its facilities to be considered.

Location will be important, Abbott said, to comply with tougher standards.

“I would like to see us try to put an additional four storm shelters in Dallas County; however, the criteria now to get a shelter is a lot different than it was when we got our first there,” she said. “You can’t just go into a community. You have to have a lot of residences, a lot of structures and a lot of people within a half-mile radius in order to even qualify.”

Securing property, Ballard said, will be the first step in cutting the costs of placing shelters. Both Ballard and Abbott said there are schools that might donate the land needed. Ballard said he also feels the Boys Ranch might be willing to help.

“I think we can get the Boys Ranch to donate us an acre of land, and we won’t have to take money out of the general fund budget,” Ballard said.