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Andover's growing population forces emergency plan changes

June 16, 2011|By Melody Pettit | KWCH 12 Eyewitness News

(Andover, KS) — Two decades have passed since the Andover tornado but it's still fresh for some residents there.

"I remember it well. It was pretty scary and I remember I couldn't get to my grandmother," said one Andover resident.

Since then, Andover has quadrupled in size and that means almost constant re-vision of emergency plans including more tornado sirens.

This summer, officials will add two more. They'll go on the edge of town where new houses are going up.

"You can hear them out there but we want to make sure they really hear it," said Andover Mayor Ben Lawrence.

Along with more sirens the City has also built an extra dispatch and emergency command center. It's in their new City Hall building. Their current command center is at the police department and if it were to get hit during a storm, they now have a backup.

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"The odds are low for that to happen but for a town that's been hit by a tornado before it pays to take extra precautions. We want to be better prepared if it does happen again," said Lawrence.

Being prepared comes with a price tag, a big one. It's being paid for by Andover residents and with federal and State grants. Residents say it's money well spent.

"I think it's a good idea. You can't have enough of that stuff to keep people safe," said an Andover resident.

Andover will now have a total of 12 tornado sirens. The City also upgraded its communication system. Emergency crews can now talk with the Parks Department to clear roads and shut off utilities faster.

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