Amherstburg Town Council voted on April 13, 2026, to explore the return of outdoor emergency warning sirens to two specific areas of the community, as officials re-examine the reliability of the current digital notification system. The move comes as leaders look to bolster emergency preparedness, particularly within the designated nuclear planning zone surrounding the Enrico Fermi 2 Nuclear Power Plant located in Michigan.
Currently, the town relies on the Amherstburg Alert platform to notify residents via text, phone, email, and a mobile app. While the system reaches more than 11,000 users, concerns were raised about its reliability after a severe storm in the summer of 2023 caused cell tower outages that prevented some alerts from being delivered. During council discussions, Councillor Diane Pouget emphasized the need for a more robust, redundant system, specifically pointing to the challenge of notifying and evacuating residents on Boblo Island on short notice.
The town previously decommissioned its five-siren network in 2023 and 2024. That decision was based on aging equipment, the high cost of replacement, and the fact that three of the sirens did not meet the necessary sound standards for the 16-kilometre emergency zone. According to town estimates, replacing a single siren costs over $50,000, plus another $25,000 for installation and maintenance. Installing a full system of roughly 30 sirens to cover the entire community for all hazards, including tornadoes, could cost approximately $1.92 million.
For now, council has directed administration to specifically look into the installation of sirens in the F1 and F2 zones. Staff are expected to return with a report detailing projected costs, potential external funding options, and mapping that shows how much of the area the sound would cover. No official budget or timeline for these installations has been established.
Amherstburg remains under the Provincial Nuclear Emergency Response Plan because of its location across the Detroit River from the nuclear facility. As part of ongoing safety efforts, the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit and the town continue to distribute potassium iodide pills to residents in the primary emergency zone and on Boblo Island.
