(Cherry Hill, N.J.) – Cherry Hill residents can now sign up to receive emergency alerts through the CodeRED Emergency Notification System, Mayor Chuck Cahn and the Cherry Hill Office of Emergency Management have announced.
CodeRED allows Township officials to send subscribers who live and work in Cherry Hill alerts via e-mail, text messages and social media for a variety of emergencies, including weather and traffic alerts, missing person searches, natural disaster alerts, and hazardous material leaks, as well as crime prevention tips and special community notifications. In the most serious instances, alerts will be sent via voice message, as well.
Residents and businesses can enroll directly by clicking here.
Required information includes first and last name, street address (physical address, no P.O. boxes), city, state, zip code, and primary phone number. Additional phone numbers can be entered as well.
Messages can be sent both Township-wide, and to targeted geographic areas. While residential landlines have been automatically enrolled in the system, residents and employees who work within the Township will need to register their cell phones and mobile devices online.
Cherry Hill is the first municipality in Camden County to utilize the CodeRED system.
“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.”
However, Cherry Hill Police Chief William Monaghan cautioned that the system is only as good as its subscriber 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 cell phone number. Encourage your family members and coworkers to do the same. No one should automatically assume their phone number is enrolled.”
All businesses should register, as should individuals who have unlisted phone numbers, who have changed their phone number or address within the past year, and those who use a cellular phone or VoIP phone as their primary number.
"CodeRED allows geographically based delivery, which means street addresses are required to ensure that emergency notification calls are received by the proper individuals in a given situation,” Chief Monaghan said. “The system works for cell phones, too, but we need to have an associated street address to provide relevant messages."
Residents without Internet access or 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.
Residents with smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices are also encouraged to download the CodeRED Mobile Alert app, which will provide local alerts to any user in Cherry Hill – even if he or she is not enrolled in the system – while they are located in the alert area.
Residents with questions or concerns about the CodeRED Emergency Notification System can contact the Mayor’s Office, or contact Police Officer Kevin Seta of the Cherry Hill Township Office of Emergency Management at (856) 432-8836 or kseta@cherryhillpolice.com.