Brunswick County residents are urged to sign up for the free CodeRED notification system to ensure they receive emergency alerts of inclement weather while repairs are being made to the NOAA weather radio tower.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s weather radio transmitter in Winnabow was damaged recently, and repairs could take six months or more. Until repairs are completed, weather radios in Brunswick County will not be able to be activated.
Brunswick County residents are encouraged to sign up for CodeRED, which enables Brunswick County Emergency Management to send alerts about emergency situations by phone call, text message, email and TDD/TTY device calls. Residents also have the option to receive severe weather warnings for tornadoes, severe thunderstorms and flash floods in their area through CodeRED. To sign up, visit www.brunswickcountync.gov/codered. If you need assistance signing up for CodeRED, call 910-253-5383.
No one option can provide all the robustness that the National Weather Service weather radio alerts provide. Signing up for multiple types of alerts and notifications can increase your chances of receiving vital information in the event of an emergency.
Residents who have a smart phone can enable Wireless Emergency Alerts on that phone. These alerts are sent out from cell towers, and users receive them if they are in or near the affected area during that time. Find more information about Wireless Emergency Alerts at http://www.nws.noaa.gov/com/weatherreadynation/wea.html.
Brunswick County residents can also sign up for email notifications of emergency situations through the County’s email list serve program, by going to http://eepurl.com/ZT6tb. While these emails are an additional tool to receive emergency information, residents should keep in mind that these emails are not automatically generated and do not replace alerts sent by the National Weather Service or CodeRED.
Residents on social media can also follow Brunswick County Emergency Services at https://www.facebook.com/BrunscoES or https://twitter.com/brunscoes, or follow the National Weather Service’s Wilmington Forecast Office at https://twitter.com/NWSWilmingtonNC or http://www.facebook.com/pages/US-National-Weather-Service-Wilmington-NC/245275132158643 for updates.