Mayor Chuck Cahn and the Cherry Hill Office of Emergency Management have announced that residents and workers in Cherry Hill can now sign up to receive emergency alerts.
The CodeRED Emergency Notification System will send subscribers information via email, text message and social media. The alerts will cover a variety of emergencies, including weather, traffic, missing persons, natural disasters and more.
“In the last several years, we have seen how social media and the Internet have become valuable tools in helping to disseminate information in emergency situations ranging from hurricanes and winter weather events to everyday occurrences such as traffic jams caused by road work or motor vehicle accidents,” Mayor Cahn said.
“CodeRED will take our outreach to the next level, and enhance our ability to reach the people who live and work here in these situations. By adding this tool, we will ensure that we can quickly and effectively relay information to large numbers of people, both Township-wide and in targeted areas.”
Cherry Hill Police Chief William Monaghan stressed the importance of registering in the database.
“If your phone number is not in the database, you will not be called," Monaghan said. “I encourage everyone who lives and works in Cherry Hill to visit the CodeRED website and enroll your cellphone number. Encourage your family members and coworkers to do the same. No one should automatically assume their phone number is enrolled.”
The township said that home landlines are automatically enrolled in the system, but Cherry Hill residents and workers must register their mobile devices online. There is also a CodeRED Mobile Alert app, which will provide local alerts to users in Cherry Hill – whether they are enrolled in the system or not – while they are located in the alert area.
Cherry Hill is the first municipality in Camden County to make use of the system.
Those who need help signing up online can contact the Mayor’s Office at (856) 488-7878, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, to supply their information over the phone.