NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — All of Middle Tennessee's weather radio transmitters are online and functional, according to the National Weather Service in Nashville. This comes as severe weather is possible for much of Middle Tennessee Thursday afternoon and evening.
Last week, three transmitters that covered a wide range of NewsChannel 5's viewing area, were down for more than 24 hours after a mechanical issue. "The telephone company, it was something on their end, it was some type of part that went bad and they had a very difficult time finding it and they were able to get it up the next day," said Krissy Hurley, Warning Coordination Meteorologist for the National Weather Service Nashville.
According to the Montgomery County Emergency Management Agency, it was an electronic board in the transmitting system that went down. When they replaced the necessary part, they discovered another issue. That new issue was resolved by Thursday March, 18th.
"These things happen with this type of equipment, these transmitters, a lot of them are 20, 30, 40-years-old. So any time you have communication lines running to these transmitters, these things can happen," said Hurley.
Even though the weather radio transmitters are functional again, Hurley says this is another good reminder that you should have multiple ways to receive severe weather alerts. "You want to have different cell phone apps, wireless emergency alerts on your cell phone, make sure it’s not on do not disturb. You never want to depend on one method, especially outdoor warning sirens. Some people can hear them at their house, some can’t," she said.
Hurley also urges you to have a battery backup for those weather radios in case your home loses power.
