Code Red Emergency Notification Available In Pocahontas County

Marlinton, WV – Pocahontas County and the Town of Marlinton have contracted with Emergency Communications Network to license its CodeRED high speed notification system. The system allows officials to quickly deliver crucial information to targeted areas or to the entire county. And signing up for the service is just a mouse click away.

A similar CodeRED system is already well established in Bath County. That system was activated for the first time in March of 2009 when Beacher F. Hackney allegedly shot two fellow employees at the Homestead Resort in Hot Springs.

It’s more likely that the CodeRED system would be activated in Pocahontas because of a natural disaster such as flooding. Pocahontas County Emergency Services Director Melvin Martin says no one should assume that their phone number is already in the system. That’s why he’s asking all county residents to sign up for the notification.

Currently there is a direct link on the Allegheny Mountain Radio website homepage at www.alleghenymountainradio.org. You can also find the CodeRED information at the Town of Marlinton website. Martin says he’s also asked the Pocahontas Times and the Pocahontas County Commission to add the link to their websites, and will look into setting up a link on the McClintic Library computers in Marlinton.

Required information includes first and last name, your physical address, city, state, zip code and primary phone number. Additional phone numbers as well as special needs information can also be entered into the site. Martin says all businesses and camps should register, along with individuals with unlisted numbers, those who have changed their telephone number or address within the past year, and those with a cellular or VoIP phone as their primary number.

He says the system will only link a phone number to one address. He says that could affect business owners, especially those whose business address is in a flood zone. In that case, he says a business owner must decide whether to link their phone number to their home or to their business.

Here’s how the system works. Once you click on the link and are directed to the enrollment page, you’ll be asked to input your address and your contact information. Once that’s done, you click the Continue button that takes you to the second page where you’ll use the Google Map to locate your physical address.

There are three options for using the map – a simple line drawing, a satellite image, and a hybrid that is the satellite with road names superimposed on the image. This one is probably the easiest to use as it offers the most references to help you locate your exact physical address. Once you’ve pinned down the address, simply drag and drop the map icon over the structure, and click the submit button. You can even initiate a test call of the system after you submit the information.

Martin says this information will be collected for emergency notification purposes only. And anyone who registers with the system can request to be placed on a no call list. Questions about the CodeRED notification system should be directed to Emergency Services Director Melvin Martin at 304-799-3985. A test call to all numbers in the database will be initiated sometime in the next several weeks. An announcement will be made on the radio and in the newspaper prior to the test.