Residents in Ogle County and a portion of Lee County were awaken early yesterday morning when the emergency siren went off.
The siren, which is used in case there is severe weather in the area or a problem at the Byron nuclear power plant that would have an impact on area residents, went off a short time after midnight twice.
There was a failure in the system which caused the problem. The siren was eventually shutoff by the Ogle County Sheriff's Department in about 15 minutes.
The Telecommunucation Center in Ogle County along with the Rochelle Police Department received numerous calls yesterday morning when the siren went off twice.
At the present time, the Rochelle Police Department has control of the emergency siren for Ogle County if it needs to be activated again in case of severe weather or problems at the Byron nuclear power plant.
Ogle County officials are working on the problem and hope to have it corrected in the near future.
Tuesday morning at 10:00, the Ogle County Sheriff’s Office will conduct the normally scheduled test of the outdoor siren system.
Technicians will also conduct additional tests. Residents may hear a prolonged test during this time. If you have any questions please contact the Ogle County Sheriff’s Office non-emergency number at 815-732-2136.