Latest news with #Smart911
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Berkeley, Dorchester Counties Urge Hurricane Preparedness as Season Begins
DORCHESTER COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD) — Emergency management officials in Berkeley and Dorchester counties are urging residents to take early steps to prepare for hurricane season, which officially began June 1 and runs through the end of November. Both counties have been reviewing emergency plans, hosting training exercises, and coordinating with state and federal partners to ensure a swift response when storms approach. In Dorchester County, officials say flooding remains their most consistent and serious threat during tropical systems. 'Our typical large threat here, and as part of the Lowcountry, is flooding,' said Thomas McNeil, Dorchester County's Emergency Management Director. 'We're always practicing, always training. It's important that we train that way so that the folks that sit here are ready and well prepared.' McNeil said the county is preparing for its annual hurricane response drill later this month, which brings together emergency leaders from across departments to test storm scenarios and communications. Meanwhile in Berkeley County, Emergency Management Coordinator Tori Renshaw said one of the most important lessons came from Tropical Storm Debby, which impacted the area in 2024. 'That was a very lengthy storm. It spanned over the course of a week from the beginning of the storm to the end of the storm,' said Renshaw. 'That's the other thing that folks need to remember. It's not just the day that the hurricane hits. There are effects that are felt before the hurricane makes landfall and after it makes landfall. And we did see a lot of flooding in areas that we hadn't previously seen flooding.' With continued growth and development across the region, officials say they've updated emergency plans to account for shifting flood zones and infrastructure. Berkeley County has also released its updated 2025 Hurricane Guide, which includes evacuation zones, shelter information, and preparedness tips. It's available on the county website, at all library branches, and the administration building. Residents in both counties are encouraged to: • Know their evacuation zones • Update emergency kits • Create a family communication plan • Sign up for emergency alerts like Smart911 • Consider needs for pets, elderly family members, and those with medical needs 'We're doing everything we can at the local level to make sure that our citizens are prepared,' said Renshaw. Hurricane season runs through November 30. Download Berkeley County's 2025 Hurricane Guide here. Check your evacuation zone: Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Chicago Tribune
08-04-2025
- General
- Chicago Tribune
Fire protection territory talk sparked again after fires at Lakes of the Four Seasons
Residents served by the West Porter Township Fire Protection District packed the Monday meeting of the WPTFPD Board to report service concerns following a March 8 house fire in Lakes of the Four Seasons, as well as another house fire five months earlier in unincorporated Lake County. 'I can't even walk next to it, it was so hot,' said Chad Myers, who lives next door to the house that was lost to the blaze in the 1100 block of Sunnyslope Drive. Myers said during the meeting that his siding is melted and cracked. 'I 100% believe my house would have gone up if they hadn't got there in a few minutes with water.' His neighbors, the Martinez family, did lose their house, as did the Estrada family, whose home caught fire in the early hours of May 20 last year while the family of six was asleep in the 3200 block of Trailside Place. The families, as well as several other members of the community, spoke of problems ranging from unanswered 911 calls to understaffing of first responders and asked the board about the status of efforts to form a fire protection territory with the town of Winfield and Winfield Township, as well as moving to a full-time staff. Denise Martinez said her 17-year-old son, who was home when the fire broke out, tried to call 911 twice before running to two different neighbors' homes for help when the calls wouldn't go through. 'It kept bouncing back and forth, back and forth, between Lake and Porter County with no answer,' she said. 'Is there no fire hydrants in Four Seasons?' she also asked. 'Why did they have to fill up a pool to get water on the fire? I have video of neighbors watching a house go up in flames.' Board Secretary Rob Rabelhofer addressed both questions. 'Twin Lakes, Community Utility, that's a private water system,' he explained of the water utility in LOFS. 'They're not required to have water hydrants. There's a couple in the neighborhood they have to have for flushing.' 'We get letters every year that they are for flushing, not for fire fighting service,' said Lakes of the Four Seasons Volunteer Fire Force Chief Kevin Heerema during the meeting, held at the fire force station. He added they try not to tap into the hydrants, which tend to be concentrated in cul-de-sacs, for fear of being billed should something be damaged. Rabelhofer also explained that calling from a cellphone is a different animal than calling from a landline. 'It's bouncing off of whatever towers it can. That's just how the 911 system works,' he explained. 'Now with your FOIP, broadband, cellular, the call doesn't always go through.' Indeed, Heerema said he touched base with both Lake and Porter County 911 centers and neither has any record of the call from the teen's phone. He suggested the audience download the Smart 911 app that aids first responders in locating the source of any emergency call from a cell phone. Frank Lascola, of LOFS, wanted to know whom they should address about the hydrant situation. Rabelhofer said it's a multimillion-dollar upgrade the utility isn't likely to make. 'But they were there for like eight minutes before water was on the house,' Wendy Myers pointed out. 'If it would have been five more minutes, our house would have been gone. Their house is gone.' She wanted to know why the department didn't pull water from the lake if the hydrants are forbidden. 'Didn't you suck up a muskrat one time?' Board Chair Craig Klauer asked Heerema. 'Oh yeah,' he replied, explaining that lake water is not ideal because firefighters don't know what will come up with the water. Once, they almost broke their pumping equipment when a fish jammed in the machinery. Samuel Estrada said he counted 'about 30 minutes until the time they came' when his house was on fire. 'We woke up to a lot of explosion. Watching your house burn down, the longest 30 minutes of my life.' Estrada, who is himself a first responder, said he's well aware that, as Heerema has often said, fires frequently happen back to back. 'Hopefully, you can help them out and get the full-time crew,' he said. 'Hopefully, we're proactive without losing a life.' Four Seasons resident Denise Shultman wanted to know the status of efforts to form a territory that has twice fallen through. 'We need some answers. We've been doing this for 18 months,' she said. With just half a million dollars in the bank and status as a nonprofit 501c3, the fire department can't afford to go full-time, Rabelhofer said. While they aren't giving up on the territory idea, which would open up further funding sources, he explained that one can only be formed by entities that touch geographically, meaning the same players from the past failed attempts will always be the only possible partners. 'I think we need to show people we can be a great partner,' Rabelhofer said. Craig Engel, a LOFS resident who has been involved in the effort all along, said community members need to cajole their neighbors to take their demands to the applicable lawmakers. 'We live in a community of non-participants and that has to change,' he said.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
How to get alerts for your community
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — With severe weather, it's advised to have multiple ways to receive alerts about your area. In addition to the free WKRN Weather Authority app, communities across Middle Tennessee have specific community alert systems meant for their area. Cell phones can receive Wireless Emergency Alerts, which is a federal public safety system that alerts citizens about public safety emergencies — including severe weather warnings. Before storms hit, you should make sure this option is toggled 'on' on your mobile device. Want the forecast delivered directly to your inbox? Sign up for the News 2 Forecast Newsletter Additionally, many communities across Tennessee have tornado warning sirens, which are designed to warn those when there is a warning in the area. If you hear a tornado warning siren, you should seek shelter immediately. Check and see if your county or city's emergency management agency has an active social media page to follow. Below is a non-comprehensive list of community alert systems across Middle Tennessee: The Nashville Office of Emergency Management has a Facebook page and the Nashville Emergency Operations Center operates a feed on X, formerly Twitter. Though these are not always the fastest communications channels, the office recommends following to stay up-to-date. One of the newest public safety programs that enables Metro to let you know when there are threats in the Nashville area is the Metro Emergency Alert and Notification System. Residents who provide contact information are provided with notifications about everything from criminal activity to weather. You can follow this link to sign up for MEANS if you haven't already to receive alerts via cell or landline phone call, text, email or TTY. You will have to create a free account. Does your Tennessee town have a public tornado shelter? Additionally, Metro officials will update the Nashville Emergency Response Viewing Engine with updates about road closures, evacuation areas or routes, shelters and other relief centers. You can follow this link to view NERVE and learn about what's happening around you — it's mobile device compatible and can help you avoid closed roads or other obstacles. During times of disaster, HubNashville services will operate as an emergency hotline. You can call them about 615-862-8600. Rutherford County uses a system called Smart911, which delivers everything from weather alerts to evacuation orders and transportation updates like road closures. Follow this link to sign up for alerts and search 'Smart911' wherever you download apps to have the alert system directly on your phone. Like Rutherford County, the City of Mt. Juliet also utilizes 'Smart911' to alert residents to severe weather and other safety threats in the area. If you don't want to download the app and you want to receive alerts for Mt. Juliet, you can text 'MJ' to 67283. Maury County's Office of Emergency Management partners with Columbia, Mount Pleasant and Spring Hill. The area also utilizes Smart911 technology for their alerts. Montgomery County and Clarksville, Tennessee utilize Weather Alerts — a free service that allows emergency response agencies to send out updates about emergencies. You can follow this link to download the app in the App Store and this link to download the app from the Gogle Play store. You can also follow this link to sign up for notifications online The City of Gallatin utilizes a 'CodeRED' system, which is a customizable system that allows you to receive time-sensitive information about emergencies or urgent notifications. Follow this link to enroll in CodeRED online or search for 'CodeRED' on the App Store or Google Play. The City of Gallatin has provided the following instructions for receiving messages: 1. Start by clicking the enroll link. You'll be taken to a new subscriber page asking you to enter your email address, delivery preferences and optional password. Setting a password will allow you to control how your email address is subscribed and unsubscribed to in the system and protect from others subscribing on your behalf, without your permission. 2. Enter the information then press the 'save' button. 3. After pressing the 'save' button, you'll be taken to the 'quick subscribe' page where you can continue to subscribe to email alert services. After making your selections, press the 'save' button. 4. After selecting your subscription pages, you will be asked to enter your ZIP code, and then press the 'save' option. This is an optional question. 5. To activate your subscription request, you will be sent a message to your email account asking you to confirm your request by pressing on an enclosed link. You can follow this link to sign up for the Williamson County Emergency Alert System, which allows you to choose the areas for which you would like to receive alerts. Williamson County has provided a list of steps to take to sign up for the alert system if you haven't already: Create a memorable username, and then fill out the remaining sections. Add in the locations that you wish to receive notifications within Williamson County If you are registering for yourself or a loved one, make sure to select any individual special needs. This helps first responders know how to respond in the event of a disaster. Select the types of alerts that you wish to receive from the system, weather or community-related. Don't forget to take the power and reliability of the WKRN Weather Authority with you at all times by downloading the News 2 Storm Tracker app. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Yahoo
Morganton residents told to stay inside as police respond to armed person
Residents in Morganton are on alert Wednesday as police are responding to an armed person inside a house, Burke County officials said. ALSO: Driver charged after hitting two students in Morganton An alert was sent out on Burke County's Smart911 app Wednesday morning that encouraged anyone near Causby Road and Fernwood Drive to stay inside and keep their doors locked. Channel 9 has learned that two elementary schools nearby are also on a soft lockdown: Glen Alpine and W.A. Young. The Morganton Police Department has not yet released a description of the armed person. This is a developing story. Check for updates. WATCH BELOW: Speed a factor in deadly Burke County crash, troopers say
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
City Warns Against Skiing Tempting Hill Years After Lethal Avalanche
The City of Missoula, Montana, is warning locals against skiing Mt. Jumbo — a hill that borders East Missoula and the Lower Rattlesnake neighborhoods — because of elk herds and avalanche a recent social media post, the City addressed two ski or snowboard tracks that appeared on Mt. Jumbo last Friday."Just a reminder that the Mt. Jumbo winter closure is in place to help protect the overwintering elk herd but also to prevent the potential for a human-triggered avalanche," the post reads. In 2014, a snowboarder triggered a hard slab avalanche on Mt. Jumbo, according to the West Central Montana Avalanche Center. While the snowboarder managed to self-arrest, the avalanche continued downwards into the base of the ravine, catching two children who were playing in the backyard of their house. They avalanche also destroyed a two-story wooden home, burying two residents who were trapped inside. One of the residents died after being transported to Saint Patrick Hospital's Emergency Department. Four other structures and several vehicles were also damaged by the the avalanche, near-record snowfall had arrived in the Missoula Valley, opening up areas like Mt. Jumbo, which aren't always skiable. Hoping to take advantage of the snow, a group of friends headed to the hill's west slope in pursuit of sled rides and powder turns. None of them had avalanche training or rescue the City's Parks and Recreation staff and Missoula County's Office of Emergency Management work alongside the West Central Montana Avalanche Center to monitor avalanche risk on Mt. Jumbo. When hazardous conditions arise, Missoula County issues Urban Avalanche Warnings through Smart 911 and the news of the Mt. Jumbo closure, Missoula is home to numerous nearby skiing opportunities. Marshall Mountain, a former ski area, is a popular backcountry skiing zone near town. Lolo Pass, located southwest of Missoula, is another area frequented by ski tourers and split in-bounds skiing, Missoula residents often head to the local ski area, Montana the West Central Montana Avalanche Center cautioned that large, three to five-foot-deep persistent slab avalanches are possible in the Rattlesnake Area near Mt. Jumbo."If you want to avoid avalanches entirely, stick to slopes less than 30 degrees in slope angle without steeper terrain above you," the forecast, which was published on Monday and expires Saturday, reads. Be the first to read breaking ski news with POWDER. Subscribe to our newsletter and stay connected with the latest happenings in the world of skiing. From ski resort news to profiles of the world's best skiers, we are committed to keeping you informed.
