emergency management

Minnesota has sent two emergency management teams to Massachusetts to help in the response to Hurricane Sandy.

Stearns County will begin using an automated community notification system to call residents when there is a storm warning in their area.

A reminder that you'll be hearing the warning sirens today (Thursday). Emergency Management officials will be sounding the sirens at 1:45 p.m. this afternoon and again at 6:55 p.m. tonight.

Gov. Mark Dayton says early planning will be the key to successfully combat expected widespread flooding this spring. Dayton spoke Wednesday in South St. Paul, at a meeting that included municipal, law enforcement and emergency officials from several cities.

Minnesota officials say recent warm weather and melting snow hasn't reduced the threat of spring flooding. National Weather Service meteorologist Dan Luna says more precipitation is in the long-range forecast.

The National Weather Service is predicting a high likelihood of significant flooding across Minnesota this spring. It has emergency management personnel in Stearns and Benton counties working hard to be prepared.