Notifications expanded to community with wildfire fatalities
DON JACOBS, Knoxville News-Sentinel
Gatlinburg authorities have expanded their emergency notification system to North Chalet Village, a community that sustained most of the 14 wildfire fatalities and had not been evacuated.
Gatlinburg and Sevier County officials also have upgraded the CodeRed mobile alert program, plan to add road signs to direct visitors to main roads and hope to have disaster information brochures placed in rental properties.
Gatlinburg already had spent $215,201 on a Federal Signal multi-functional notification system to replace the decades-old flood warning sirens in the downtown area, according to city Finance Director Robert L. Holt. Flames during the Nov. 28 wildfires damaged those four sirens. The new system has five sirens.
The downtown sirens were activated May 19, Holt said. The system is accessible by wire and wireless options, including smart phones, tablets or radio.
$500K for Phase II
Gatlinburg C
