A deadly tornado in the small northern Illinois community of Fairdale earlier this month is raising questions about how best to warn rural residents about storms.
Two people died in the storm. Fairdale, a community of about 150 people, has no outdoor warning system. Such systems aren't required by law and are left up to municipalities.
Sangamon County emergency management official David Butt says federal and state funding for warning systems has fallen since the 1990s, and a basic siren can cost more than $15,000.
Since it can't afford an outdoor system, the village of Cantrall last year bought weather radios for $30 apiece for roughly 30 households.
Illinois Emergency Management Agency spokeswoman Patti Thompson says outdoor systems are only meant for people outside and might not wake up people like a weather radio would.
