Warren County creates new cellphone emergency notification application
New app provides clearinghouse of emergency response information
Warren County Office of Emergency Services has unveiled a new cellphone application to help keep residents informed during emergencies.
The Ready Warren County NY app will allow Office of Emergency Services staff to send push notifications to those who have downloaded it, to advise them of emergency situations as well as emergency-related events such as water or ice distribution locations during power outages.
Having the ability to alert residents via push notifications is important in a rural county with poor cellular service in some areas, as push notifications can often get through to phones when texts or cell calls can not be made or received, or when cellular data is unavailable to access websites.
Over 80 percent of people in the U.S. own smartphones, and a growing percentage use them as their primary means of communication.
“This application will serve as a new way for the Office of Emergency Services to connect with Warren County residents and visitors, providing information quickly and efficiently to them through their smartphone,” said Ann Marie Mason, Warren County Emergency Services Director. “We ask residents to download it and enable push notifications so we can make sure that everyone is informed as emergencies occur.”
“Our new cellphone application will be a great tool for our emergency services folks to use during bad storms, power outages and when other emergencies develop,” explained Warren County Board of Supervisors Chairman Kevin Geraghty, a longtime Warrensburg volunteer firefighter. “We are glad to have this new tool that will allow our staff to quickly notify residents of emergency situations that affect them.”
In addition to Warren County emergency notifications, the app provides:
- Links to numerous emergency services resources, including the OES website.
- Connection to sites to provide information about power outages, weather conditions, wildfire risk and stream levels.
- Interface with Warren County Storm Reporter app to report storm damage.
- Links to preparedness resources, including videos and checklists.
The Ready Warren County application is free, and can be found in the Apple and Google app stores. For a direct link to the Google version, click here. For the Apple version, click here.
Those with questions can contact Warren County OES at 518-761-6240.
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