Lightning alert system installed at downtown Winter Haven recreational facilities
WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - We're heading into the summer season, which is when lightning is the most active. For kids playing outside in the park or swimming in the pool, safety is a major concern, which is why the City of Winter Haven installed a lightning alert system.
Jenny Barton works at a nonprofit near downtown called Faith Xtreme. She visits the local parks quite often to reward the kids.
"Yesterday was our first storm of the summer and there were some of our kids down here, and they were like, 'There's a lot of lightning.' I was telling them 'hop in your cars, you're going to be fine,'" said Barton.
Now, when kids hear a high-pitched siren noise, it means lightning is nearby and they have to get to shelter. It's the city's new lightning detection and alert system. A caution siren will go off if there's lightning within 15 miles and a warning siren will go off if there's lightning within eight miles, which means people should immediately move to a safer place.
"For us it's easier to manage sites that are staffed, such as swimming pools or ballparks, but if you're in a public park that doesn't have a staff person, this is a way for us to get that information to them," said Scott Eilers, the Assistant Director of Parks & Recreation and Culture.
Once it's all clear, another sound will go off letting people know it's safe to return to their activities.
The Downtown Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) purchased two sirens for $9,750 with an annual $1,700 fee per location for the alerting services. One is set at the Florida Citrus Building and the other is at the AdventHealth Fieldhouse and Conference Center.
"Lightning is deadly and a lot of times it does more physical damage to people and injury than death, so either one is not a good option," said Angie Hibbard, the CRA Manager.
"As a native Floridian, we kind of just ignore lightning and it's not smart," said Barton, "There's a lot of people who have lightning detectors on their phones, but for the city to install that on their own is really important because there is a lot of lightning in Florida."
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The city's plan is to expand this system to cover all outdoor sports and recreational facilities.
They'll be testing the new system every Thursday throughout the month.
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