It’s official. The Citrus County Sheriff’s Office is the
first sheriff’s office in the state of Florida to offer CodeRED
Weather Warning to its citizens. The dialing speed of CodeRED
Weather Warning, coupled with state-of-the-art banding technology,
makes it possible to call all subscribers to this new service
within seconds after a warning is issued for their
area. CodeRED weather warnings include those for tornadoes,
flash floods and severe thunderstorms. They don’t include
hurricane warnings, since communities typically have several days
in which to prepare.
Citizens will need to subscribe to this free weather warning
system. To opt in, simply go to the official Sheriff’s
Office Web site at www.sheriffcitrus.org, and click on the
CodeRED link. Fill in the blanks, including name, address,
primary and alternate phone numbers, etc., then click on the box
that says CodeRED Weather Warning. Hit “Continue” and follow
the rest of the instructions.
|
| Sheriff |
| Jeffrey J. Dawsy |
By adding this feature to their CodeRED notifications, citizens
will receive any tornado, flash flood or severe thunderstorm
warnings even before weather radios go off. When seconds
count, CodeRed Weather Warning will call the phone numbers you’ve
entered and warn you so you and your family can take appropriate
actions for your safety.
I truly believe this new service has the potential to save
lives. I urge everyone to sign up and take full advantage of
this extra-critical time to take precautions.
Here’s some more CodeRED news. Starting April 24, CodeRED
(often referred to as reverse 911) changed its phone
number. In the past, when citizens received a CodeRED call,
the number that appeared was 999-911-9999. The new toll-free
number is 866-419-5000.
If you currently have “call block” on your phone, please contact
your service provider and allow this new number to
connect. The reason for the change is this: If you miss a
CodeRED call and you have caller ID or you just want to hear the
message again, simply call back the new number on the phone that
received the call, and it will replay the last message sent to
that phone.
Citizens who don’t have computer access may call (352) 746-6555
for more information or to sign up for CodeRED and CodeRED Weather
Warning.