If a child goes missing or the weather is about to take a sharp turn for the worse, would you be among the first to know?

Sirens
Paul Conrath, Getty Images
loading...

Municipalities and counties in New Jersey continue to introduce their own emergency alert systems, but you likely need to register in order to be in the know.

About 93,000 landline phones are already locked in with Cape May County's new countywide emergency alert system, CodeRED. But officials are encouraging residents to register their cell phone numbers as well.

"Because today ... I think about 70 percent of people rely on their cell phones rather than landlines," said county emergency management director Martin Pagliughi.

The system can notify subscribers of emergencies such as tornado warnings or major road closures. Users can register with specific buildings as well, such as a library, to learn about unexpected closures.

Most of the Cape May County's 16 municipalities have their own alert system as well, Pagliughi said.

Town-specific programs throughout New Jersey allow officials to send emails and/or text alerts in an emergency. Little Silver and Shrewsbury count on a shared service known as Two River Alert-CodeRED.

Laura Connolly, a spokesperson for the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management, said the state has its own opt-in alert system, as well as a system that sends out notifications — such as an Amber Alert — regardless of subscription. But these local efforts offer an extra level of protection.

"Any kind of new technology or tool that we can build redundancy in our resiliency is wonderful for us," Connolly said.

New Jersey 101.5's app for Android and iOS also offers alerts for traffic, emergencies and breaking news.

More from New Jersey 101.5:

Contact reporter Dino Flammia at dino.flammia@townsquaremedia.com.

More From New Jersey 101.5 FM