Emergency notification system updated

Wood County and its incorporated cities have entered into an agreement with Emergency Communications Network, Inc (ECN) for the use of its Code Red Emergency Notification system.

This system, which is called Rave, utilizes land-line phones, cellular phones, e-mail and text messages to deliver notifications about emergency or non-emergency situations as quickly as possible to citizens of Wood County or the cities.

Wood County residents, community members and travelers who previously registered for emergency alerts with Code Red must register again with Rave to receive timely and actionable emergency alerts via email, text or voice message. 

Tully Davidson, county emergency management coordinator, reminds everyone not to assume to be automatically registered with the system. The system relies on the physical address to know when to call if Wood County activates the system. Citizens can register a home phone, cell phone and e-mail address. If the system is activated they will be notified if their address is within the area selected by emergency management.

Wood County does not allow any unauthorized access to contact information and it is not sold, shared or distributed to any other party other than Wood County, or the incorporated cities in Wood County, for the purpose of emergency or non-emergency communications as deemed appropriate. Information will never be used for any purpose other than to communicate directly from Wood County or the respective city.

This service is available to residents whose addresses are inside the limits of Wood County including the cities of Yantis, Winnsboro, Mineola, Quitman, Hawkins and Alba, as well as the unincorporated areas of Wood County. If the address is not in Wood County, it will not be added to the Wood County call database.

If a call is received via the Code Red notification system, it will clearly state that it is either an emergency or non-emergency call.  

Delivery of calls is not guaranteed due to circumstances beyond their control. Telephone network outages, overloading of the telephone network, or telephone lines that are in-use at the time of the call attempt will not receive a call, even if registered. All citizens should remain alert during severe weather and never wait for a call before seeking shelter or taking protective measures.

When registering for Code Red, citizens must provide all the requested information including first name, last name, address and phone number at minimum.

Registration may be rejected if not all the requested information is provided.