New text alert system keeping residents safe - 13abc.com Toledo (OH) News, Weather and Sports

New text alert system keeping residents safe

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Monroe County has a new alert system that's helping to protect residents. The text alert system notifies local residents of important county advisories.

35,000 households are signed up for the safety alerts so far. The county can also use the system internally to notify officers only of emergency situations.
     
Monroe County's emergency management division has a new system to help keep residents and business owners safe. It's called the Monroe County Alert Notification System. Michele Lachcik says she's heard about it.

"I think it's a good thing. we just really haven't heard anything about how to sign up for it yet," said resident Michele Lachcik.

Here's how you get connected. Log onto the county's website under emergency management to sign up. The system sends text alerts to residents by phone, cell, and email if there's an emergency

"They got to be prepared disasters can happen in a moment and that's not the time to figure out what's going on," said the Emergency Management Division Director Mark Hammond.

It's free to sign up!  As the county waits for more people to sign up, it's currently using numbers from the white pages to alert residents of any problems. If a call is picked up by an answering machine the system will leave a message

"The important part is the all clear. a lot of times people are notified of events but they never know its over. So they may be sheltering in a place or in the horrible event there's a barricaded gunman they're in the basement they need to know the can get out and resume normal activities," said Hammond.

This resident says she'll consider signing up for the safety alerts.

"Well most of us keep our phones attached to our hips so I would think we would get it a little easier move convenient," said Monroe resident Stephanie Gurganus.   

The nearly $40,000 system will not cost tax payers a dime. It's paid for thru a grant until 2014

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