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Durham to issue weather warnings by phone
DURHAM, Feb 13, 2012 (The Herald-Sun - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
In response to severe weather last spring, the Durham Emergency Communications Center has made some changes.
The department announced last week that it had upgraded its notification services to include automated phone calls about weather warnings issued by the National Weather Service's Storm--Based Warnings.
"With some forms of severe weather, there is very little time to get to a safe area or seek shelter," said James Soukup, director of the center, in a press release.
"We were seeking another tool to help us reach out directly to our residents and an immediate phone call using CodeRED seemed like a great solution."
The center, which is responsible for providing continuous 911 access and meeting emergency and non--emergency assistance requests, has used Emergency Communications Network as a notification provider for several years.
The recent upgrade to its account with the provider to include the severe weather warning phone calls will incur an annual cost of $15,000.
"We were able to afford it through a grant from the Durham City--County Emergency Management Department," Soukup said.
It is free for residents and businesses to register for the emergency weather warnings.
To receive the call alerts, Durham residents must register their number either online or by calling a hotline.
Residents who have already signed up for crime alert and other emergency warnings, as well as all Durham County land lines, will receive a phone call later this month with instructions on how to register.
"Hopefully everyone in Durham will sign up," said Soukup.
HOW TO SIGN UP
To register by phone, residents can contact Durham One Call at 919--560--1200 or visit:http://durhamnc.gov/ich/op/911/pages/codered.aspx and click on the link titled "Residential, Business, and Weather Warning Data Update Page."
___ (c)2012 The Herald-Sun (Durham, N.C.) Visit The Herald-Sun (Durham, N.C.)
at www.heraldsun.com Distributed by MCT Information Services
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