Mass Notification System For Cocke County To Be Tested This Month

Cocke County Emergency Management Director Joe Esway made the official announcement on Thursday about a new Mass Notification System for Cocke County. The county will be utilizing telephone-based system called “Hyper Reach” to mass transmit emergency messages to the county’s residents. The system will provide rapid notification of hazardous and urgent situations using a mix of telephone calls, text, and email messages. It will do this by having access to the Federal Emergency Management System’s Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) system. Esway says the county will use the service primarily for alerts about weather and environmental hazards, criminal activity, and missing persons. Landline phones are automatically enrolled for Community alerts, but Weather alerts to landline phones and Community and Weather alerts to internet based phones, mobile phones, and email addresses are only included when people enroll. Esway is encouraging residents and people who work in Cocke County to enroll now (using a county address) either by calling or texting “Alert” to (423) 237-7470 or by going to the website http://hyper-reach.com/tncockesignup.html.

Director Esway says the county will begin sending out test messages on July 11th and hope to have the system completely online by the end of July.