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After tornado, town of Cameron must replace warning siren

The small Warren County town of Cameron will need to replace the tool that helped save lives during last week’s tornado.

The town’s tornado siren was destroyed by the E-F-Two twister.

Cameron Fire Department Captain Alan Otten says it’s essential to replace

the warning system.

We have a tornado now, now you’re literally gonna have guys driving around in front of the storm here, just having to blast sirens and scream.  And maybe go door-to-door or whatever to tell people to run for cover.

Otten says the town has tried for several years to get a new siren. He says the cost of a new siren is around 20-thousand dollars.  He says the town will try to find a grant to pay for it.

Otten says the town might try crowd-funding websites if grant applications

are denied.

T.J. Carson is the Galesburg correspondent for Tri States Public Radio. His duties include reporting on current events in the cities of Galesburg and Monmouth, and Knox County. He returns to TSPR after serving as a student reporter and host in 2006. Before Tri States Public Radio, he was a news reporter for WSPL-AM in Streator, IL. At WSPL, T.J. earned two awards from the Illinois Associated Press; Outstanding Single Story Contribution in 2011, and Contributor of the Month for February 2008. T.J. is a native of Lacon, IL. He is a graduate of Midland High School in Varna, IL, where he participated in baseball and football all four years, as well as the Scholastic Bowl team. He received his bachelor's degree from Western Illinois University in the fall of 2006, where he participated in numerous activities for the student-run radio station, as well as public address announcing for the Western Illinois Leatherneck baseball and softball teams. In his spare time, T.J. enjoys baseball, golf, watching animation, and drawing. He has also been a Guest of Honor at fan-created conventions for the television program 'My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic'.