Steuben OES urges residents to sign up for emergency alerts

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SEPT. 14, 2018

BATH – The severe weather conditions associated with Hurricane Florence serve as a good reminder for Steuben County residents to be sure their emergency plans are in place, according to county Office of Emergency Services Director Tim Marshall. "We don’t expect to see the devastation those in the direct path of Florence are enduring this weekend," Marshall said. "But Steuben is no stranger to floods, high winds, snowstorms and electrical outages. This is a good time for people here to check how prepared they are for any emergency." Steuben residents have access to three county programs designed to help them and their loved ones in the event of damaging storms.

• ReadySteuben is a free mobile app giving users direct access to county alerts and notices from the National Weather Service. It also includes a personal locator, a way to quickly communicate with family or friends, a damage report for people to send reports and photos to the Steuben Office of Emergency Services and an "emergency kit checklist" to keep track of emergency supplies. The app is available at https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ocv.readysteuben or ReadySteuben at https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ready-steuben/id1231230252?mt=8
• "Special Needs Registry" allows residents with special needs to provide essential information to local emergency response teams, so responders can better plan to serve them in a disaster or other emergencies. The information provided by residents and facilities is gathered and organized on a confidential, secure online registry. The registry is located at https://www.steubencony.org/Files/Documents/emo/forms/special_needs_paper-based_survey_form_v1117.pdf
• • CodeRED provides county residents with warnings from local emergency responders of emergency situations or critical alerts, such as evacuation notices, shelter-in-place notices, and missing child reports. Alerts are available through land-based phones but individuals must register their cell phones. Residents may register at https://public.coderedweb.com/CNE/en-US/BF12304FB38F

"We really hope people take advantage of these resources," Marshall said. "It’s better to look into these now, to be prepared before a storm hits."