Residents & Businesses Encouraged to Sign Up Online to Receive Emergency Alerts

 DURHAM, N.C. — Whether it’s a severe storm, an Amber alert or a threat to your home or business, Durham residents and business owners now have an upgraded notification system where they can receive emergency notices through their phones, email, and mobile devices.

 The Durham County Emergency Management Department is encouraging anyone who lives or works in Durham to visit ALERTDURHAM.com to register for the new notification system. As of yesterday, residents who had previously registered to receive alerts through CodeRed will need to re-register with ALERT DURHAM.

 The ALERT DURHAM emergency notification system will be used to alert residents about a variety of events, ranging from severe weather, fires, floods and other emergencies to more routine announcements, such as road closures and water utility maintenance. Messages will be sent on the preferred contact paths selected during the sign-up process—cell phone, SMS, home phone, email, fax, pager and more—to ensure real-time access to potentially life-saving information. Additionally, residents will have the option to “opt-in” to receive specific alerts they are interested in.  

 “We have a commitment to ensure public safety, community awareness, and emergency response. To uphold this, when critical information and public service announcements are available, we need to reach our residents as quickly and reliably as possible,” said Durham County Fire Marshal & Emergency Management Director Jim Groves. “The ALERT DURHAM emergency notification system allows us to disseminate emergency information across all types of devices ensuring residents have access to real-time public information when they need it the most.”

 About the Durham County Emergency Management Department

The department is responsible for maintaining the County Emergency Operations Plan, and is the coordinating agency for all emergency response/recovery force activity when the emergency operations plan is implemented, and is the agency through which the Durham County Board of Commissioners and the Durham City Council exercise the authority vested in them during accidents and disasters. For more information, visit the website or follow on Twitter.