Winnebago County has our safety in mind. That's why they are installing a 71 siren network capable of alerting everyone of impending emergency. From the densest part of Rockford to the isolated farmer in the most remote part of the county.

"It's another public safety device. The idea is to protect people, not property. The idea is to alert people of natural disasters and other warnings that the people might need." says Gary Burdett, a Winnebago County consultant working on the project.

The project was supposed to be completed by April 1st, before the severe weather season really gets going. Unfortunately, construction on the warning system that is supposed to protect us from the weather was slowed down by...wait for it... the weather!

"We worked through the winter. We have to give kudos to the guys who did it. They worked through some pretty brutal weather trying to get them in, but we didn't beat the posting of the roads." adds Burdett.

Crews are hoping to finish installation by the end of the week, but once again the weather is not cooperating. Heavy rains are expected both Thursday and Friday and if the ground is too soft the heavy machines cannot work on it. Fortunately most of the sirens that have already been installed are working.

The sheriff's office has the ability to activate one siren at a time so if a tornado is bearing down on Pecatonica, the sirens in Loves Park stay quiet. They can also set all the sirens off at once in case of a larger emergency.