UNDATED – The Jackson County Public Safety Agency (JCPSA) has contracted a new system to provide emergency notification services to county residents. As a result, residents are now being asked to enroll in the system to receive necessary alerts and notifications.
According to a media release from Jackson County Public Safety Director Steve Nichols, the county has contracted the services of the CODERED system, which will allow county officials to communicate with residents through “telephone calls, text messages, emails, social media and CODERED Mobile Alert app messages in an effort to effectively inform residents of emergencies to protect life and property.”
The system was said to be selected because of its global use, as well as “unrivaled reliability and accuracy.” Officials expect to use CODERED to notify residents of “severe weather, drinking water emergencies and missing children/person notices.”
The release noted that the new contract also includes the use of the CODERED Weather Warning system, an “automated weather warning technology” that will similarly notify residents that are in the path of potentially severe weather. The system was described as an “opt-in service” that notifies registered users of severe thunderstorm, tornado or flash flood warnings within minutes of an alert from the National Weather Service.
Nichols issued a statement that revealed his excitement about the new system: “CODERED’s robust system will provide county officials with a reliable, easy-to-use interface to quickly disseminate critical information to our residents during emergencies. We are very eager to use this technology to enhance our emergency preparedness plans.”
According to the release, the JCPSA was given an “initial database of residential and business telephone numbers,” but officials are encouraging all county residents to visit this website to register for the service and provide any additional contact information that they feel is necessary. This includes cell phone numbers and email addresses.
Residents should note that if they wish to be registered for both facets of the alert system, they will have to "opt-in" to the weather service following their initial CODERED registration.
If any further information is required, residents can contact (706) 367-1233. The release said that should callers be directed to voicemail, they should leave a contact name and phone number.
Residents can also contact [email protected] via email.
