Allen County Officials Say Sirens Wouldn't Prevent Deaths

Updated: Mon 1:59 PM, Feb 11, 2008

SCOTTSVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Officials in a southern Kentucky county hit hard by last week's storms say an outdoor warning system probably wouldn't have prevented four deaths.

They say the sirens are designed to warn people who are outdoors.

Four people died in Allen County from storms and tornados that hit late Tuesday and early Wednesday morning. The county's emergency management director, Gary Petty, says the sirens wouldn't have made a difference in the rural setting where the tornado hit.

Allen County's fire chief, Mike Cooksey, says the victims were also in bed and wouldn't have heard sirens.

The victims were Phyllis and Michael Dow, a married couple, and Linda Stephens and her 2-year-old grandson, Hunter.

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