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Where will you be if disaster strikes?

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Contributed by: Laura Ullrich on 5/16/2008

The city of Santa Clarita has recently launched a new addition to the city's Emergency Notification System (ENS) that allows residents and businesses to stay connected via telephone and electronic notifications when in danger of being or impacted by an emergency or disaster.

This new system allows residents to update their own contact information via the city's Web site.

"This new system feature reflects the need for making real-time information available to residents no matter where they happen to be when an emergency occurs," said Darren Hernandez, deputy city manager. "Our emergency notification system is one more tool available to residents to help them be prepared for an emergency and the City is encouraging everyone to take advantage of this system," said Hernandez.

The system is used by emergency response personnel to notify the homes and businesses at potential risk with information on the event and/or actions, such as evacuation, that the city and local public safety officials are asking them to take.

Now, in addition to home phone numbers, residents can add additional contact information to the notification system such as their mobile phone numbers or email addresses.

This on-line system will also allow residents who currently subscribe to an Internet phone service, such as Vonage, to now be contacted by the city's regional notification system by simply adding their contact information.

This addition to the system will also expand residents' ability to add or update personal contact information and will supplement the current information that is on-file.

The telephone numbers that are registered are called only when the address that it is associated with is impacted by a disaster or emergency.

To register an Internet-based telephone, cellular telephone or e-mail address - or to update information - simply go onto the city's website, www.santa-clarita.com, and complete the registration form.

Each number and/or e-mail provided will be added to the regional database. It is important to note that each number and/or e-mail registered can only be associated with one address in the system.

The Emergency Notification System is able to contact land-line telephones whether listed or unlisted. If in the event of an emergency, the call is picked up by an answering machine, the system will leave a voice message.

If the telephone called is busy or does not answer, the system will redial that number up to three times in an attempt to deliver the message. The system is also TTY/TDD capable.

For more information on the Emergency Notification System, please visit the city's Web site at www.santa-clarita.com.

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