23 September 2014
CODERED® EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION SYSTEM UPDATE
Conway, South Carolina – In October of 2013, Horry County began utilizing the CodeRED®
emergency notification system, giving county officials the ability to
deliver pre-recorded emergency telephone notification/information
messages to targeted areas or the entire county at a rate of up to
60,000 calls per hour.
The CodeRED®
system enables individuals and businesses the functionality to add
their telephone numbers directly to the system’s database. The system
was recently updated which now allows users to add multiple addresses
and as many phone numbers as needed for other family members or
employees. The system also allows email addresses as the emergency
notification can be broadcast via phone, text or email.
To date, the CodeRED®
system for Horry County has over 111,000 phone numbers registered in
the database. Citizens that have not yet signed up for the free
notifications may log onto an Horry County’s website,http://www.horrycounty.org, click on “Departments” on the top menu. There are links to the CodeRED® system on the Fire Rescue, Public Information, Sherriff’s Office, Police Department and Emergency Management pages.
All
contact information provided remains private and will only be used for
emergency notifications. Anyone without Internet access may call the
Horry County Public Information Office at (843) 915-5390, Monday
through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. to give their information over the phone to be added to the CodeRED®
system. Required information includes first and last name, street
address (physical address, no P.O. Boxes), city, state, zip code,
primary phone number and additional phone numbers are optional.
No
one should automatically assume that his or her phone number is
included. All businesses should register, as well as all individuals
who have unlisted phone numbers, who have changed their phone number or
address within the last year, and those who use a cellular phone as
their primary home phone. Out of state property owners are also
encouraged to sign up. Since the system is geographically based,
street addresses are needed to select which phone numbers will receive
emergency notification calls in any given situation.
Other CodeRED® features:
- TTY/TDD Functions – The CodeRED®
system allows those hearing impaired to also sign up to receive
emergency notifications. Text Telephones (TTY), also known as
Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD), are used by the deaf,
hard–of–hearing, and individuals with speech impairments to communicate
- Message Playback – You can hear the last message to your phone through the CodeRED® system by simply dialing back the number on your Caller ID. Community members can easily identify calls coming from theCodeRED® system as the recipient’s Caller ID will read Emergency Communications Network or 866-419-5000.
- CodeRED® Mobile Alert App – The free, available app is geo-aware
so no matter where you are when an alert is issued, you will receive
notifications that affect you – right on your mobile device. The app
delivers information from community officials in areas that subscribe
to the CodeRED® Emergency Notification System. The free app is available on Horry County’s website at http://www.horrycounty.org.
- CodeRED® Weather Warning –
This is an opt-in only weather warning product that taps into the
National Weather Service’s Storm Based Warnings. This geographical
targeted weather-warning product is built into the CodeRED®
system and will alert citizens moments after a severe thunderstorm,
flash flood, or tornado warning has been issued. Community members can
easily identify calls coming from the CodeRED® Weather Warning as the recipient’s Caller ID will read Emergency Communications Network or 800-566-9780. The CodeRED® Weather Warning also provides a CodeRED® Weather Warning Mobile App which is $4.99 per year, but comes with a complimentary 30-day trial with the CodeRED® Mobile Alert App.
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Lisa Bourcier | Director of Public Information
Kelly Lee Brosky | Supervisor III
Horry County Government
Public Information
1301 Second Avenue, Conway, South Carolina 29526
