By Khalida Sarwari
Santa Clara County has launched a new countywide emergency notification system to help improve communications with emergency personnel during a catastrophe.
AlertSCC, a regional emergency notification tool implemented and funded by the county, provides safety information to about 1.8 million residents in the event of an emergency or disaster.
The automated system has the capacity to instantly notify residents in the event of an emergency via text message, e-mail, home or business phone and devices for the hearing impaired, using 411 and 911 databases.
The system will cost the county about $1.4 million annually to operate and will be used for a variety of emergency notifications, including earthquakes, floods and wildfires. Residents will also receive community service notifications in connection with terrorist attacks, crime incidents, hazmat incidents, infectious disease information, contaminated food warnings, and road and school closures.
The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors and local officials gathered for a news conference today at the sheriff’s department to announce the launch of the system modeled after AlertSanDiego, San Diego’s emergency notification system that alerted residents during the 2007 wildfires.
Supervisor Ken Yeager, who brought the alert system initiative to the board in 2007, said, “We all know that disaster can happen at any time. I know how grateful we’ll all be when a disaster strikes and we’ll see how prepared we are.”
Board President Liz Kniss said the county is taking preemptive measures following the deadly Hurricane Katrina crisis in New Orleans in 2005.
“We certainly don’t want Santa Clara County to look like New Orleans did after the flood hit,” Kniss said.
Residents are encouraged to register alternate communication devices such as cell phones, e-mail addresses and other mobile devices at www.AlertSCC.com.
San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed jokingly touted the benefits of the notification system over popular social networking Web sites Facebook and Twitter.
“Facebook is so yesterday,” Reed said. “This is the hottest thing in town.”