Residents should register numbers with CodeRED

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Jasper County Emergency Management’s new CodeRED warning system is a huge leap in functionality over the county’s previous phone warning system.

CodeRED allows county officials to input a message on a Web site and then initiate automatic phone calls warning residents in the case of an emergency.

The old system could call four people at a time, severely slowing any chance of getting a widespread warning out in timely fashion. Meanwhile CodeRED successfully tried 14,500 numbers in about 17 minutes during a test last month.

That’s like trading a skateboard for an Indycar.

At last Jasper County has a system that can reach substantial numbers of residents in a minimal amount of time. Now when there’s a tornado warning, there’s a good chance everyone can be notified before a potential tornado could touch down. If, God forbid, a nasty tornado like the one that hit Parkersberg ever were to strike Newton or any Jasper County community, people could be warned in time.

The system is even capable of determining who receives the notification. If, for example, there’s a bomb threat at PCM High School, residents of Prairie City and Monroe could be contacted first.

Having such a sophisticated warning system is good news for everyone in the county, but it’s important to note that the system is only as effective as the numbers in its database. People with listed home phone numbers are automatically there, but those with unlisted numbers or those who have only a cell phone need to actively make sure they are on the list.

With the ever increasing number of people who are dumping their land lines for cell phones only, it becomes increasingly important to get the word out that people need to register their numbers to ensure they’re receiving emergency warnings from CodeRED.

Anyone with a cell phone or an unlisted number can make sure their number is on the list by heading over to www.jasperema-hls.org/ and clicking on the CodeRED logo on the left side of the page. That will bring up a form that can be filled out with name, address and phone number. The system even allows for e-mail or text message preferences so residents can be reached in the most effective manner.

Taking a few moments to ensure you’re on the CodeRED registry could ensure that in the event there is an emergency, you can be notified in a prompt manner.