Fargo, N.D. – A day after widespread confusion was caused with the testing of Fargo’s outdoor siren warning system, the mayor now admits the city could’ve handled things differently.
“It’s on us to do a better job next time,” Mahoney told The Flag during a live phone interview on Wednesday morning.
All sirens sounded at 1pm Tuesday in connection to the dismantling of old water towers, but the planned test took place on a stormy, overcast day which made many city residents wonder what was going on.
“We had several people calling in to say ‘my kids don’t know what to do’ and ran from a park because they thought there was a tornado,” said Mahoney.
“The weather has been on and off, so you didn’t really know if something serious was going on or not.”
Listen: Fargo Mayor Tim Mahoney on The Flag
Mahoney was asked if the city should use tools like the Cass Clay Alerts system, which sends out mass messages to people via email and test, although people have to register in advance to receive such alerts.
“They [our city] should have done a better job of advertising that [test],” said Mahoney.
Mahoney says he’s already had conversations with newly sworn-in Fargo Fire Chief Gary Lorenz and Emergency Manager Brady Scribner.
“In the future, we need to get better warnings to people on social media so they know what’s going on.”
The city did post about the test ahead of time on Monday on social media.
Typical testing occurs at 1pm on the first Wednesday of each month.
