April 20, 2018 – During an emergency, alert and warning officials need to provide the public with life-saving information quickly. Starting April 1st, Nevada County’s CodeRed emergency alert system has the added capability to send emergency alerts and warnings to nearby by cell phones, not just to cell phones and home phones that are registered for Nevada County CodeRed emergency alerts.
Using geo-targeting, Nevada County CodeRed emergency alerts will now reach cell phones that are within the vicinity of an evacuation or emergency area. This added capability will increase Nevada County’s Office of Emergency Services (OES) ability to alert residents and tourists that may be nearby when an emergency event occurs compared to past emergencies. For example, during October 2017’s Lobo and McCourtney Fires in Nevada County, Nevada County’s CodeRed emergency alert system only had the capability to send emergency alerts to residents who had previously registered their cell phone or landline.
Even with CodeRed’s new capability, it continues to be important to sign-up for Nevada County’s CodeRed emergency alerts. If you are away from your residence when a nearby emergency event occurs, you will not receive an emergency alert unless your cell phone and home address are registered to receive Nevada County’s CodeRed emergency alerts. Sign-up for Nevada County’s CodeRed emergency alerts on Nevada County’s OES website.