INDIANTOWN, Fla. — When an outbreak of tornadoes hit parts of Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast in October, it struck a chord with those in trailer homes.
“I expected that kind of damage, but the scary part was, it could have been us,” said Shelly Waiter, a resident of Indianwood Golf & Country Club.
Some residents of Indianwood Golf & Country club say they’d like to be warned with tornado sirens.
“Even a well-built home will not stand up to a tornado very well. It’d just tear them apart,” said Indianwood resident Ed Close.
He and his wife Linda Close are snowbirds from North Georgia. They're no strangers to tornadoes and sirens.
They and others of this trailer home community think the sirens could be a good idea.
“I think any forewarning would be helpful,” said Indianwood resident Shelly Waiter.
The Indiantown Village Council discussed what it might cost to install and maintain sirens at a meeting Thursday.
Indiantown Village Manager Taryn Kryzda said, "Part of my concern through this is it’s going to — it could be upward of $400,000, maybe more, and the village just is, I mean we’ve got so many other needs right now."
However, for Ed and Linda Close, a life is worth the price.
“The safety factor, particularly in these kinds of homes, outweigh the cost in my opinion,” said Ed Close.
The village council ultimately decided it wasn’t the right move for Indiantown, but they’re looking into how they can help mobile home parks like Indianwood.
"I don’t think that it’s a feasible thing to do, I think it’s cost prohibitive. I don’t think it’s going to be effective. I think it’s going to expose us to liability. God forbid something did happen," said Indiantown Mayor Carmine Dipaolo.
Council member Phyllis Waters Brown added, "But what’s a life worth? So, we need to be able to give them options that they can use — feasible options and present that to them."
Even though council members decided not to move forward, Indianwood residents are hoping officials in their community will take it under serious consideration.
