Plainfield, New Jersey, was hit hard by severe storms that turned deadly this summer.

Now, the city is investing in an alert system to help save lives.

5 killed in back-to-back summer storms in Plainfield and North Plainfield

Gigi Neal's younger brother, 79-year-old Rocco Sansone, died during a deadly storm on July 3. She said earlier that day, he had stopped by to bring her a sandwich.

"He said, 'I'll see you in a little while,'" Neal said. "But I called him at 6. I called him at 7. I called him at 8."

Hours later, at 2 a.m. on July 4, she said there was a knock at her door. Authorities told her a tree had fallen on top of her brother's car, killing him and his passenger, 25-year-old Ernesto Valladares.

"I was supposed to be with him," Neal said.

Another woman was killed in North Plainfield in that same storm. Fourth of July festivities and fireworks were canceled while Plainfield declared a state of emergency.

Eleven days later, another storm hit. Two women in their 60s were killed when their vehicle was swept into a brook. Vehicles were left stranded, and homes and businesses flooded.

"We couldn't sit back and assume it was never going to happen here again"

The back-to-back storms pushed city officials to plan for more severe weather events in the future.

"Having two in such short succession meant that we couldn't sit back and assume it was never going to happen here again," said Jazz Clayton-Hunt, Plainfield's chief of staff and director of communications and technology.

Now, the city of Plainfield is investing in a system that will send out early warnings during disasters. Residents will be able to hear an emergency tone or pre-recorded message.

"Installed on poles in strategic locations so that they can be heard across our entire 6.2 square miles," Plainfield Mayor Adrian O. Mapp said.

The signal will tip residents off to any impending disaster and give them enough time to evacuate or find cover.

"Whether it's a snow storm, whether it's a tornado, whether it's an impending flood, whatever it is," Mapp said.  

The system consists of seven devices in total. The project will cost about $500,000, but at no cost to residents. The mayor says a grant from Union County will cover the payment.

Neal supports the plan.

"That's what they should have because people would stay in their houses, they wouldn't go out," she said.

Installation will take two to three months, and the mayor says the system will be up and running no later than December.