Alert system able to notify residents of emergencies

Donley County residents are being urged to sign up for a new notification system that could save lives in the event of a local emergency by using text messaging, telephone calls, or e-mails.

The “Resolve To Be Ready” system can be utilized for severe weather, wildfires, or other disasters to notify people of where the danger is and what steps to take.

Sheriff Butch Blackburn said fewer than 200 people are currently signed up on the system, and he wants to see that number increase. Blackburn said the system would have been very beneficial during past wildfires so that residents in the path of a fire could be easily and quickly notified.

The system has been put together by area emergency managers and the Panhandle Regional Planning Commission (PRPC) in an effort to provide all jurisdictions in the region the ability to contact their residents quickly when disasters are imminent. The goal was to create a sustainable call-out system that would enable local emergency management officials to rapidly notify their residents in mass when conditions (weather or otherwise) jeopardized their jurisdictions.

Commonly referred to as a reverse calling system, “Resolve To Be Ready” came to fruition when the PRPC applied for and received a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to cover 75 percent of the cost of building and implementing a regional notification system. The Amarillo Area Foundation generously provided $100,000 to support a large portion of the non-FEMA funded system costs, with the PRPC providing another $24,000 in support. Together, these grant funds and contributions have now made it affordable for every jurisdiction in the region to maintain notification capabilities.

Clarendon College has been using the same system to keep its students aware of severe weather threats as well as class cancelations.

Any information entered into the system belongs to the individual that provided that information. Nobody else can see it or use it for any other purpose other than for notifications. The system simply knows to send a call or text message to the cell phone, email address or home phone number entered by a registering resident. With the reliance on cell phones growing, it’s more important than ever that critical information be conveyed in a mobile environment.

As a first step toward personal preparedness, residents should “Resolve to Be Ready” by logging onto www.R2BeReady.com to register their contact information, along with the contact information of their family members, into this new system. That way, they can stay informed of conditions that may affect their safety.