ROBSTOWN, Texas — Robstown neighbors are once again hearing the familiar sound of an emergency warning siren after the city installed a new system funded through Nueces County.
The previous siren had been in place for roughly two decades, but stopped working four years ago, leaving the community without an audible warning system.
“I’ve been here 28 years, and I think we had it after maybe five years that I came in,” Robstown Fire Chief Javier Zapata said.
For many Robstown natives, the decades-old alarm was part of daily life, so the silence was noticeable when it broke. The sound of the new siren blasting through town has been welcomed.
“We’re glad. We missed it. When we stopped hearing it, we were like, ‘What happened to the sirens?’ And once we heard it, we were like, ‘Yes, it started working again,’” Robstown neighbor Rosie Rios said.
The new system is designed to alert the public to emergencies.
“During a tornado, you don't have enough time. So the siren when we do sound it. It means go inside, pick a room for shelter,” Chief Zapata said.
The siren uses different tones to indicate the type of emergency.
“One steady tone indicates that there is a tornado coming or a tornado warning, or a severe storm. There’s a wavering tone one there also. That indicates that there is a national security emergency or other special alert depending on the local protocols,” Chief Zapata said.
The system is currently in its testing phase. Residents can expect to hear the siren every Monday and Saturday at noon, as crews ensure it’s functioning properly.
Outside of those scheduled tests, any activation should be treated as a real emergency, officials said. If the siren doesn’t sound during a planned test, it’s likely because firefighters are responding to a call, since the system is manually activated.
“Right now, I know you can hear it all the way to the junior high, a little further maybe the high school. If you are outside, and that's the main purpose, they want the people who are outside,” Chief Zapata said.
Zapata urges residents to sign up for Reverse Alert and Robstown’s Emergency Public Notification Platform, or EPNP, to receive real-time notifications.
To sign up for Reverse Alert, click here.
To sign up for EPNP, click here.
