Some homes in eastern Colorado were badly damaged after multiple tornadoes touched down in parts of Adams County and Elbert County on Sunday.

Emergency management teams say no injuries were reported and that emergency alerts were received by hundreds of residents.

Both rural areas rely largely on emergency notifications like calls, texts, and emails, also known as CodeRed alerts, to warn residents of severe weather.

Those notifications come from the National Weather Service and go directly to cellphones and landline numbers registered that are in the area where the warning is issued.

 
Roughly 300 CodeRed alerts went out in Adams County and, according to the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office, those within an eight-mile radius of the tornado's center were warned in their area.

In Bennett, a recent report to town trustees on their emergency response plan says only about half of the people who live there are signed up for their alerts.

Town manager Trish Stiles says she would like to see every resident get those alerts.

"It could really mean the difference of not knowing or knowing and you could be in town or somewhere else and it will still alert you to what's going on in case you have loved ones or need to get home quickly," Stiles said.

Bennett's fire department was also able to activate their emergency sirens, which they say they only do when a tornado is visible.

It's a tool several agencies are moving away from.

The City of Brighton decommissioned their sirens last August and, despite growth on the eastern edge of Aurora, that Colorado city said in 2024 they hadn't added sirens in more than a decade.

Elbert County says they also did away with theirs years ago. The director of emergency management there, Jim White, says those sirens typically reach only about a quarter of a mile and for people who are outside.

YourReporter in Aurora Kelly Werthmann spoke with Aurora's emergency manager in 2024, who shared a similar message.

"I would say the siren system is a secondary tool outside of our primary notification system," Matt Chapman, emergency manager for Aurora, said at the time. "It's not as efficient as some of the tools we have now."

Everyone can also receive weather alerts form the nationwide emergency alert system through radio and television broadcasts as well.

To find out if you're area has CodeRED Alerts or another form of notification you can visit your county website, below are links to Adams and Elbert County forms.