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Register for county mass emergency notification system

MEDIA RELEASE

The Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency has acquired a mass emergency notification system, which allows county agencies to easily notify the public in the event of emergencies.

City Watch is an electronic notification system that can notify residents about evacuations or other emergency measures via phone or e-mail.

“This new system allows us more flexibility and speed to notify communities of an impending or imminent emergency, with appropriate measures for residents to follow,” Civil Defense Agency Administrator Quince Mento said.

It will supplement the more traditional means of communicating with the public such as radio broadcasts.

The system was purchased by the state Civil Defense Agency and was given to the county as a pilot project, Mento said.  The system uses maps with registered residents’ phone numbers and addresses to target specific communities on the island.

“We can use a computer generated map to focus on say, Waikoloa or Puako, to alert residents to evacuate in the event of a brush fire,” Mento said. 

The system once activated sends residents registered on the system a brief voice and e-mail message.  “This system will only be activated in major emergencies,” Mento said.

Big Island residents need to register for City Watch by either mailing their contact information to: County of Hawaii Civil Defense Agency, 920 Ululani Street, Hilo, HI 96720, or online at www.citywatchonline.com/CSBSignUp/HawaiiSignUp.asp.

To register, include name, street address (no P.O. boxes), city, zip code, home phone, cell phone, cell phone carrier and e-mail address.  The service is free to all residents. 

If your phone number is listed in the phone book white pages, you will be automatically registered for City Watch.  However, if your listed phone number is on a “do not call list” such as the National Do Not Call Registry, you will need to register the number. 

Cell phone users will need to register their numbers, and all residents wishing to be contacted by e-mail must register their e-mail addresses.

The pilot stage of the project will be free to the county, and in subsequent years the county will pay an annual fee of approximately $40,000.  The system is used in numerous communities, notably in California amid the recent spate of wildfires.

One Response to “Register for county mass emergency notification system”

  1. damon says:

    It won’t work… $40,000 in wasted money.

    …”A test performed under those conditions resulted in calls being placed to the homes of more than 200 firefighters in just 14 minutes, Mayor Harry Kim said.”…
    http://www.westhawaiitoday.com/articles/2008/11/12/local/local07.txt

    200 firefighters who were expecting the call in 14 minutes!!!!

    How long will it take to reach everyone that signs up? This is the biggest waste of tax dollars I have seen in a long time…

    What in the hell are these monthly siren tests for?

    And more importantly… What happens if the power goes out and the service is unavailable.

    More wasted tax dollars!

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