Monterey County to Test Emergency
Notification System as part of
National Preparedness Month
If
you get a phone call, text message or email from Monterey County's emergency
notification system on Tuesday, September 30th, don't panic.
This is one message you’ll be happy to receive.
On
that date, the County is testing the Alert Monterey County system which
is used to notify the public of important public safety information such as
natural disasters, evacuations, wide-area power blackouts, urgent law
enforcement operations, and missing persons or kidnapped children.
"Being
able to connect with Monterey County residents in such an important way is
valuable to our overall preparedness as a county,” said Monterey County
Emergency Services Manager Sherrie Collins. "Getting information to those
who need it in a timely manner can sometimes be an obstacle, but technology
gives us newfound abilities and advancements. Emergency notifications via cell
phones are a successful way to disseminate critical information to area
residents during emergencies. Testing the system ensures that it will be ready
when we need it."
Testing
of the system will take place on Tuesday, September 30th at 12:45
PM. Tuesday is America’s PrepareAThon!, a culmination of National
Preparedness Month - a month-long national awareness campaign. The Monterey
County Board of Supervisors formalized and recognized Monterey County’s efforts
in a resolution on September 9th, and encouraged all residents to
take a step towards a “Ready Monterey County” by choosing an action that they
could do to contribute to the efforts. Signing up to receive emergency
notifications is a great start.
It is
important to note that you will only receive a message if you have registered
for Alert Monterey County prior to the 30th. (If you haven’t
already, you can register here)
For more information on Alert
Monterey County, check out the FAQs .
For more
information about emergency preparedness in Monterey County, head to the Monterey County Office of Emergency Services webpage
and follow them on Twitter (@MontereyCoOES).
What
to expect
A
short message identifying itself as a test of the Monterey County Emergency
Notification System, delivered via the method that you designated upon sign up
(call, text, email, or VOIP) on Tuesday, September 30th.
