Meriwether County, GA
| Meriwether County, GA | |
 A Sentry Siren Model 16V1T-B in Woodbury, GA. Photo by Andrew Thomas. | |
| Type | Weather |
|---|---|
| Location | Meriwether County, GA |
| Status | Active |
| Testing dates | 3rd Saturday (Lone Oak, Luthersville, Greenville)
1st Saturday (Manchester)
|
| Testing times | 12:00 PM-1:00 PM (unconfirmed)
|
Meriwether County is a county in the West Central region of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 20,613. The county seat is Greenville. Meriwether County, along with its communities, maintain somewhat of a network (although disjointed and uncoordinated) of storm sirens of various makes and models, with new siren installations in recent years and upcoming plans for more in the future.
History
The 1st known siren in Meriwether County—a B&M Siren Manufacturing Model 10(GA)—was installed in Greenville presumably amidst World War II. A Federal Sign & Signal Thunderbolt Model 1000AT (serial no T-1843-D) was purchased by Manchester in 1962, which was implemented on top of the Manchester Police Department, and a Federal Signal Model 5AT was purchased by Warm Springs in 1977 and situated at the Warm Springs Police Department. The Thunderbolt and Model 5AT were presumably used as civil defense sirens and then repurposed as storm sirens after the end of the Cold War. A Federal Signal Model 2001-130 was implemented at the Manchester Fire Department to supplement the Thunderbolt no later than 2006. A Model 16V1T-B was donated to the city of Woodbury in July of 2010, and in May of 2012 a refurbished Sentry Siren Model 10V was donated to the city of Lone Oak. The Thunderbolt in Manchester was sold to Will T. (TNT1001) on August 31st, 2012, after suffering a mechanical failure and removed on September 8th, 2012. The siren was later sold to Matthew (bobcat418). Surveying for 2 sirens in Manchester (which had been considered as far back as 2014) was conducted in February of 2022.
As of 2024 nothing has come of this. In March of 2022, Jeb McCranie of McCranie Warning Systems in Rhine, GA, serviced the Woodbury siren's nonfunctional radio receiver; the siren before that point was maintained by a local radio shop. The Greenville Model 10(GA) was removed in 2022. On February 5th, 2023, a refurbished ACA Allertor 125 (formerly in service in Piedmont, OK) was situated at the Luthersville Fire Department. A refurbished Federal Sign & Signal Thunderbolt 1000AT (formerly in service in Wichita Falls, TX) was installed at Greenville City Hall on July 6th, 2024—both the Luthersville and Greenville installations were done by McCranie Warning Systems. Warm Springs supposedly has/had 5 sirens (unclear if this includes the Model 5AT) according to a Facebook post from Andrew Thomas (who does siren work for the county); none have been located. According to Thomas, there was once a plan to put a siren on the corner of Nebula and Judson Bulloch Road behind a trailer park and another at the water tower near Mountain View Elementary School, both of which were never implemented. The Model 5AT in Warm Springs was suggested to be in service in 2021 but was confirmed inactive by a city worker on May 14th, 2024; it is unclear if the siren has been put back into service at this time. The former Model 10(GA) in Greenville is supposedly awaiting reinstallation elsewhere in the county.
Schedule
There is somewhat of a siren testing schedule that Meriwether County follows; Luthersville's siren is tested on the 3rd Saturday of the month at 12:00 PM (weather permitting), and Lone Oak and Greenville supposedly also follow/will follow this schedule. According to a Woodbury resident Tristan C., Woodbury's siren is tested irregularly, and both the date and time varies. A Facebook post from the Meriwether County Government account suggested that Lone Oak and Woodbury's sirens are owned by the county and are tested on the 3rd Saturday of the month; the test date for Woodbury was later said to be the 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month between 12:00 PM-1:00 PM (weather permitting) by a local government official on Facebook in 2021. Manchester's siren is tested on the 1st Saturday of the month at 12:00 PM, weather permitting. It is worthy to note that ownership of sirens in Meriwether County and siren testing dates have become increasingly unclear; Luthersville and Greenville's sirens are presumably owned and operated by the county. Woodbury and Lone Oak's sirens are supposedly controlled independent of Meriwether County but have other times been suggested to be operated on the county level. The siren in Warm Springs is confirmed to be owned by the city. It is recommended to check with local officials to receive the most up-to-date information regarding siren testing dates and times.
Gallery
wip