BY STACI WILSON

County residents now have a new way to be notified quickly and stay informed when emergencies happen in the area.

A countywide system, ReadyNotifySusquehanna rolled out earlier this month enabling those who sign up for the service to receive an emergency situation alert to their cell phones, pagers, smart phones or email accounts.

Emergency Management Director Charlene Moser said, “The notices are sent through either the emergency management or 911 departments.”

The program was funded through the Northeast PA Regional County Terrorism Task Force.

ReadyNotifySusquehanna allows local officials to notify residents about emergency situations, sever weather events, major traffic issues and threats to homeland security.

Registering for the service is free and residents can choose the types of alerts they would like to receive.   To sign up, visit susqco.alertpa.org and follow the step by step directions to begin immediately receiving emergency alerts.

Please note, wireless carriers may charge for text message notifications, depending on each individual’s service plan.

In addition to the method of receiving the alerts, those registered can also choose the types of events they would like to be alerted of, Moser said.

Moser also noted that – in the registry – “emergency services” is a closed, managed group strictly for the use of emergency personnel.