A remote-controlled eye in the sky soon will help Douglas County officials warn the public of impending disasters.

“Weather Cam,” a new digital camera to be wired into a secure law-enforcement communications network, will be perched within a month atop the city’s Stratford Road water tower, just east of Iowa Street.

Through the camera’s adjustable lens, emergency management officials will be able to get a clear view of approaching tornadoes — and improve chances for accurately dispatching storm spotters and sounding warning sirens.

“We don’t have a window here in the operations center,” said Teri Guenther, the county’s assistant director of emergency management. “This is just one more piece in the puzzle, so we can see what’s going on out there. We’ll actually be able to see.”

The camera’s images will be available to emergency management officials 24 hours a day, transmitted directly into the center at the Judicial and Law Enforcement Center through the Lawrence Police Department’s secure communications circuits, she said.

A viewing screen will be installed between the center’s two televisions, and add to stacks of equipment that already provide access to live Doppler radar, National Weather Service radar, amateur radio operations and the SkyWarn audio network.

It never hurts to have more, she said.

“Redundancy is always good in the operations center,” Guenther said. “We’re always looking for ways to improve our operations.”

¢ 6News video: Weather cam to give early warnings¢Tornado stories, video, photos

When a May 8 tornado ripped into southwest Lawrence — causing an estimated $6.4 million in damage — nobody was hurt or killed by the furious winds. Such good fortune came, in part, because city residents heard warning sirens 19 minutes before the funnel reached town, Guenther said.

The camera system should help boost the chances of such early warnings the next time a tornado twists into the area, she said.

“It’s one more way to help,” Guenther said. “The more sets of eyes you have out there, the better off you are.”

City Manager Mike Wildgen welcomes the concept of bolstering storm-warning capabilities. Provided the camera’s weight poses no threat to the integrity of the city water tank — “and I’d be hard pressed to think it would,” he said — the connection shouldn’t run into any static at City Hall.

“Public safety is an important concern of ours,” Wildgen said.

Officials said the system would cost less than $5,000, and be financed by a federal grant funneled through the state to the county’s emergency management office.

“It’s a really good thing for us to have,” said Paula Phillips, director of emergency management. “And it’s relatively cheap.”