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Renick not eligible for sirens

Storms killed four Missourians on Sunday in Renick, a town without warning sirens.

The town's mayor says Renick should be eligible for those sirens.

Sarah Smithies has more from the State Capitol.

Mayor Darren Barfield says he applied for a grant to install a siren in the town.

But the US Department of Agriculture told him the town's residents make too much money. The grants are for towns with a median income under $30000 --in Renick, the median is $30,300.

"I don't want to point fingers, but it just seems, you know, kind of mysterious that it's just, you know, a few hundred dollars out of our range that we can qualify."

Barfield says the town can't afford the siren on it's own -- the cheapest sirens cost $7000.

From Jefferson City, I'm Sarah Smithies

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In a town where tornados killed four people Sunday, the mayor is calling for a change.

Sarah Smithies has more from the state capitol.

The town of Renick, MO, doesn't have tornado sirens. Mayor Darren Barfield has asked for a grant to install a siren, but the USDA says the town is too rich,

With a median income of $30,300, the town is $300 over the maximum. A statistic that Barfield questions.

"I know most of the people in this community. They're working forty, fifty hours a week and still barely getting by."

The cheapest sirens cost about $7000.

From Jefferson City, I'm Sarah Smithies.