Altona has a new safety tool to help alert residents in the event of a tornado.
The town has installed a warning siren in case a twister touches down.
Deputy Mayor Earl Dick says the town wanted a way to warn its 4,000 residents about severe weather.
"They'll hear the siren, tune to (local radio) and get the particulars on what to do," Dick said.
The $22,000 siren, officials say, can be heard throughout the entire town.
Police Chief Glen Robinson says officers can trigger the alarm through their cell phones.
"So any of the officers that are on duty can activate it from the cruiser car," Robinson said.
The provincial government is working on a new weather notification system. The move follows the 2006 death of a woman in a storm at Gull Lake and Canada's only F5 tornado in Elie in 2007.
Don Brennan with the Emergency Measures Organization says instead of sirens, the system will use local radio and television stations to broadcast emergencies in specific areas.
"It's a warning system, but it's not strictly severe weather...it's for all types of hazards, so we would have used it if we had it for the flood," Brennan said.
The province anticipates the system will be operational by September, 2010, said Brennan.
