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Emergency Information

Can we find you in an emergency?
A Public Service Announcement from the City of Aurora and the Aurora Fire Department:
Firefighters, emergency vehicles, and personnel may need to find your home quickly should an emergency occur. It is difficult for emergency vehicles to find homes and businesses whose address numbers are not properly posted. Clearly posted house numbers can save precious time should an emergency occur. Response time is crucial; seconds lost can mean the difference between life and death.
Minnesota Fire Code requires that address or building numbers shall be a minimum of 4 inches (102 mm) high with a minimum stroke width of 0.5 inch (12.7 mm). Additionally, when posting your address or building numbers, please remember to:

  • Post the numbers directly on your house, apartment, or garage.
  • Post the numbers so that they can be easily seen from the road.
  • Use numbers that are easy to read, not CURSIVE style.
  • Keep your house numbers clearly visible throughout the year.
  • Be sure your numbers can be seen at night.
  • Make sure your numbers are of a contrasting color for easier visibility.
  • Encourage your friends, family & neighbors to post their house numbers, too!

Drive by your house, business or apartment to see if you can see your numbers from the street. If you can clearly see your address or building numbers from the street - while you are seated in your vehicle - then there is a good chance they can be seen by emergency services.

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City Emergencies

What happens if there is a snow emergency?

A normal snowfall takes approximately 8 – 10 hours to clear, with City crews typically starting the removal operations at 5:00 a.m. Snow that is windrowed in the downtown area is usually removed the following day.

City of Aurora Public Works employees work on an on-call basis, 24 hours a day-7days a week, including holidays and weekends in order to facilitate safe travel during the winter season.

Please remember that under City Ordinance, it is ILLEGAL:

  • To deposit snow onto ANY street or alley,
  • To deposit snow on a sidewalk,
  • To park a vehicle on a sidewalk,
  • To ignore calendar parking ordinances.

To aid in snow removal, law enforcement personnel will strictly enforce the daily calendar parking and abandoned vehicle ordinances.

If you hire a contractor to remove snow from your property, it is your responsibility to inform them of City Policy. You are responsible for their actions while they are working for you.

Any items placed onto City right-of-way (including but not limited to basketball nets, signage) must be removed immediately so as to not impede our snow removal processes. The City of Aurora shall not responsible for any damage to any items placed illegally on the City right-of-way.

Please remember these ordinances are in place to ensure the safety of motorists, pedestrians, and our snow removal staff. Continued violations may result in fines being imposed for any or all of the illegal activities listed above.

What happens if there is a water or waste water emergency?

If you experience a disruption in service to your water service, please call the Aurora Water Plant at (218) 229-2624. Please leave a detailed message, including your name, address, and how we can contact you.

If you experience a disruption in service to your sewer service, please call the Aurora Wastewater Plant at (218) 229-2232Please leave a detailed message, including your name, address, and how we can contact you.

What happens if there is a street emergency?
If you notice a problem with your street or alley, please call the Aurora Public Works Department at (218) 229-2231Please leave a detailed message including your name, address, and how we can contact you.

Severe Weather

What are the sirens I hear?

The City of Aurora uses its Civil Defense Sirens to notify the public of pending danger due to tornado, severe weather, or fire.

The City Siren Warning Signals are used as follows:

  • In case of TORNADO, sirens will blast in a continuous manner for 3 minutes.
  • In case of SEVERE WEATHER, you will hear a slow wailing signal.
  • In case of FIRE, for 90 seconds, you will hear the typical wailing siren (the sound goes up and down).

The City of Aurora tests its Civil Defense sirens at approximately 1:00 p.m. the first Tuesday of each month, in compliance with the City’s Emergency Operations Plan. Please note that when you hear the sirens on these test days, these are only tests to ensure that our sirens are working properly. It is a good idea to use these test drills as the time to practice your family’s emergency plan.

What are the types of weather warnings?

The National Weather Service uses the words "advisory", "watch" and "warning" to alert you to potentially dangerous weather. Understanding these terms and knowing how to react can be a life saver.

Advisory
An advisory is issued when a hazardous weather or hydrologic event is occurring, imminent or likely. Advisories are for less serious conditions than warnings that cause significant inconvenience and if caution is not exercised, could lead to situations that may threaten life or property.

Watch
A watch means weather conditions are favorable for dangerous weather to occur. In other words, a "watch" means watch out for what the weather could do, and be ready to act accordingly. You may wish to alter or have a back-up plan for any outdoor activities or travel.

Warnings
For severe thunderstorms, tornadoes and flash floods, a warning means the weather event is imminent or occurring somewhere in the defined warning area and that people need to take shelter as soon as possible.