Contra Costa California: Cell Phones to Get Alerts in Disaster
Ryan Huff writes in The Contra Costa Times:
When wildfires raced toward Southern California homes two weeks ago, authorities there spurred the largest evacuation in modern state history through recorded phone messages telling residents to get out.More here.
It largely worked but has left emergency officials to ponder a critical question: How do you reach a population that is dumping landline phone service and becoming more mobile?
In Contra Costa County, authorities plan to close similar wireless gaps by becoming the first jurisdiction in the nation to offer text message alerts for those in harm's way. Starting early next year, anyone with a cell phone can sign up for the alerts, which will be sent if the device is located in a disaster zone.
Note: My only comment here is what if the cell phone network(s) are unavailable during and/or immediately after an emergency (such as an earthquake)? This is exactly what happened after the recent Alum Rock earthquake near San Jose on October 30. Well, okay... nothing's perfect.
- ferg
posted by Fergie @ 11/05/2007 10:08:00 PM
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