Emergency personnel on top of weather concerns With the numerous recent outbreaks of severe weather in our area, there has been much discussion — and confusion — on social media and elsewhere about alerts and notifications for citizens in the area. To address those concerns, Bolivar County Emergency Operations Director, Michael Lamb, City of Cleveland Police Chief, Dudley Tribble, and City of Cleveland Fire Inspector, Greg Jackson met with the Bolivar Bullet on Monday to discuss weather preparedness and address concerns for the citizens of Cleveland and Bolivar County. “There was a lot of social media chatter about the weather and sirens last week following the April 6 watches and warnings,”  said Tribble. “That is why we wanted to inform the public about the weather, sirens and ways you can be more weather informed in the future.” The first thing the three officials wanted the citizens to know is the difference between a tornado watch and a warning. “A tornado watch is the possibility that weather conditions are favorable to produce a tornado in our area,” said Lamb. “A tornado warning means that either a tornado has been spotted or there has been radar indication of rotation in our area. It is important to know the difference between those two warning alerts.” The City of Cleveland has six working tornado sirens placed around town located on or at: Bishop Road, Presbyterian Day School, CRA on Yale Street, the Animal Shelter and Amzie Moore Park. Surrounding communities such as Boyle, Merigold, Benoit and Renova also all have working tornado sirens with Boyle and Merigold actually having two tornado shelters. Rosedale, Shaw and Alligator have tornado sirens as well, but they are not currently working. “Outdoor tornado sirens exist to alert people who are outside that there is a possibility of severe weather,” said Tribble. “The sirens are not meant to be heard indoors. These sirens can be heard, if outdoors, for several blocks. They were strategically placed in locations so that every citizen of Cleveland can hear the sirens and be alerted for potential weather emergencies.” The six tornado sirens located in the city limits of Cleveland are tested every Saturday at noon, weather permitting. “It is important for everyone to know the testing times of the sirens as to not be alarmed,” said Tribble. “Each siren is tested and a report is logged with date and time of the testing for our own records and the records for the service company that maintains and fixes the warning sirens. If we perform a random testing other than a Saturday, we issue a notice on the City of Cleveland MS Police Department Facebook page and notify schools and other officials of the random testing – but that is rare.” Another question that came up often on social media regarding the sirens is who or what agency activates the sirens? According to Lamb, he can activate all of them in case of emergency, but the Cleveland Police Department activates the city’s sirens. “We