Franklin County commissioners approved $439,050 to replace aging tornado warning sirens weeks before the Aug. 11 derecho exposed the limits of the county's alert system, which stayed silent as 82 mph winds knocked out power to more than 98,000 customers across the county, including thousands in New Albany and Gahanna.

The funding, a supplemental appropriation from non-general funds approved in late July, targets "end-of-life" outdoor warning sirens in jurisdictions including Westerville and Grove City, according to the Columbus Dispatch's Nora Igelnik. Whether any of the 198 sirens serving Franklin County that are slated for replacement sit in New Albany, Gahanna or Plain Township has not been confirmed.

The sirens never sounded on Aug. 11.

Franklin County Emergency Management and Homeland Security activates the system only when the National Weather Service issues a tornado warning. No tornado warning was issued that day, even as the Storm Prediction Center later classified the storm as a derecho that traveled hundreds of miles from Iowa through the Midwest before slamming central Ohio.

As we reported Aug. 12, the silent sirens left residents relying on phone alerts, though many New Albany and Plain Township households that hadn't re-registered after the county's switch from CodeRED to Everbridge may not have received those either.

The county's 198-siren network, tested every Wednesday at noon, alerts people who are outdoors during a tornado warning. County officials have said residents should maintain multiple ways to receive warnings, including the ALERT Franklin County system at alertfranklincounty.org.

Jefferson Township offers a preview of what the upgrades look like in practice. That jurisdiction already replaced an aging siren at its Service Complex and installed an additional one near Waggoner and McOwen roads, an area previously outside coverage. The new units use a stacked-disc design rather than the traditional loudspeaker.

The storm's aftermath continues. As of Aug. 13, approximately 30,000 AEP Ohio customers remain without power in Franklin County, and a flood watch extends until 11 a.m. Aug. 14.

"Things are not going to be fully restored or back to normal later today or tomorrow or the day after that," Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther said at a press conference on Aug. 11, describing conditions that included more than 100 911 calls to Columbus Fire that morning.

The specific number of sirens to be replaced and whether the scope includes repairs to existing units or only full replacements remains unclear. Residents can sign up for ALERT Franklin County notifications at alertfranklincounty.org or call FCEM&HS at 614-724-0802 for information about the siren system.