When the storm came it turned awful black awful quick. They can be operated from the city's dispatch center at the police department and at the Macomb County Sheriff's Department in Mt. Clemens. Sterling Heights uses a variety of high-tech methods to prepare and deal with severe weather. Robert Johnson, Sterling Heights' emergency services manager, coordinates the city's emergency efforts. A cable link with the Weather Channel constantly is displayed on his desktop computer.
City officials say communication and safety are needed in a community of such size.
Now they are all overgrown with homes. With urban sprawl, more people are put in harm's way.