Nelson County KY Emergency Management

08/24/2026

Nelson County Emergency Management Dive Team spent the day at Green River Lake training divers on communication and search patterns and line tenders on rope signals and communication with their divers. Also logged some time with our underwater ROV as well.

We had a special visit from the Goodyear Blimp. It flew low over the team early this morning.

Big thanks to Washington County Rescue Squad for the use of their boat and as always Lincoln Trail Area Development District for their financial support of our dive team.

Thanks to all of our divers for putting in all the hours of training. Your dedication makes our region a safer place!

07/27/2026

07/23/2026

How Our Siren System Works 🌪️🚨
Have you ever wondered why some weather sirens go off during a storm while others stay silent? Two years ago, Nelson County upgraded to a smart, polygon-based weather alerting system to keep everyone safe and prevent "warning fatigue".

Here is exactly how it works:
• No More County-Wide Blasts: Sirens no longer sound for the entire county if the threat is only in one small area. If a severe storm is only in the top portion of the county, sirens in the bottom portion will not activate.
• Targeted "Polygon" Warning: The National Weather Service (NWS) draws a "warning polygon" around the path of the dangerous storm. Our system automatically triggers only the sirens inside that polygon, plus a 1-mile buffer around the perimeter.
• Eliminating Human Error: This automated system relies on real-time NWS data to take the guesswork out of activation. However, local dispatch still has the override ability to manually set off sirens if the need arises.
• Current Coverage: We currently have 19 active weather sirens throughout Nelson County, with another 7 planned for installation.
• 💡 A Quick Reminder: Outdoor warning sirens are designed-as the name suggests—to be heard outdoors to alert you to seek shelter immediately. Always have multiple ways to receive warnings when you are inside your home, such as a NOAA Weather Radio or alerts enabled on your smartphone