Many Gainesville residents will now be within earshot of an outdoor warning siren if weather takes a turn for the worse.

Three new sirens, used to warn people who are outdoors of impending dangerous situations including tornadoes, have been installed inside the city limits.

“As you know, our area is prone to severe weather and prone to tornadoes,” said Gainesville Fire Chief Jon Canada. “We have a long history of tornadoes in Hall County and the city if Gainesville and this is just a great way to continue to try and take care of the folks that live here and give them the best chance of getting a head start.”

Sirens were installed at Chattahoochee Golf Club, Lanier Point Softball Complex and City Fire Station No. 4 on Memorial Park Drive, areas known for outdoor use by residents.

The project cost around $60,000 and $25,000 was paid through a matching grant from the Georgia Emergency Management Agency.

The additions bring the total number of sirens in the county to 20.

“It enhances what we currently have,” said David Kimbrell, Hall County fire chief and EMA director. “Those were some areas that were identified close to the city that would benefit.”

The sirens are operated out of the 911 center and have an audible radius of about one square mile, depending on the topography of the area.

They’re designed to only reach people who are outdoors, informing them to take cover.

“We want to emphasize that’s what they are: outdoor warning sirens,” said Canada.  “A lot of people may say they can’t hear them inside their homes and they’re not designed for that.”

For indoor warnings or for those who are out of range of the sirens, weather radios or electronic notification systems can be utilized.

Hall County recently earmarked $25,000 for a new emergency notification system, and Kimbrell said his agency is testing demos to see which system offers the county the “biggest bang for the buck.”

That system could text, email and call those who sign up for it.

But those kinds of systems, the chiefs said, need the siren supplement.

“Not everyone may have the ability to receive a notification that way,” said Canada. “That audible siren, which is very loud, attracts your attention regardless of what you’re doing.”

Kimbrell said Flowery Branch is the in the process of applying for the GEMA grant to help fund three sirens as well.

The timeline for those applications generally run six to nine months.