County Unveils New Mass Emergency Notification System

The Hawai`i County Civil Defense Agency has just acquired a new Mass Emergency Notification System, which allows for County agencies to easily notify the public in the event of emergencies.



The City Watch is an electronic notification system that can notify residents about evacuations or other emergency measures via phone or email.



“This new system allows us more flexibility and speed to notify communities of an impending or imminent emergency, with appropriate measures for residents to follow,” said Civil Defense Administrator Quince Mento. It will supplement the more traditional means of communicating with the public such as radio broadcasts.



The system was purchased by State Civil Defense and was given to the County as a pilot project, Mento said. The system uses maps with registered residents’ phone numbers and addresses to target specific communities on the island.



“We can use a computer generated map to focus on say, Waikoloa or Puako, to alert residents to evacuate in the event of a brush fire,” Mento said. The system once activated sends residents registered on the system a brief voice and email message. “This system will only be activated in major emergencies,” Mento said.



Hawai’i County residents need to register for City Watch notification messages by either mailing their contact information to: County of Hawai`i Civil Defense Agency, 920 Ululani Street, Hilo, HI 96720 or online at http://www.citywatchonline.com/CSBSignUp/HawaiiSignUp.asp . To register, please give your name, street address (no p.o. boxes, please), city, zip code, home phone, cell phone, cell phone carrier and email address. The service is free to all residents.



The pilot stage of the project will be free to the County, and subsequent years the County will pay an annual fee of approximately $40,000. The system is used in numerous communities, notably in California amid the recent spate of wildfires.