Westminster, MD, Tuesday, September 6, 2022 –September is the Carroll County, Maryland and National Preparedness Month. To stress the importance of the topic, the county is releasing important emergency readiness information each week in September. Today’s topic is Carroll Alert, Carroll County’s opt-in mass notification system.  Carroll Alert is an enhanced emergency notification system used in cases when significant hazards to life and property threaten the community. 

Emergencies can happen anywhere and at any time, so it’s important that individuals and families are prepared. Carroll Alert is one tool that residents can use to stay aware of hazards that may cause them to need to use their family’s emergency communications plan.

Carroll Alert, powered by Everbridge, provides information to residents about emergency events quickly and through a variety of communication methods. To ensure emergency notices are received efficiently, residents are encouraged to log in to the Carroll County self-registration portal and provide phone numbers for both home and work, including land and cell phone numbers, and email addresses.  Residents can register by visiting www.carrollalert.org.  All information provided in the portal is kept strictly confidential.

Citizens should be aware that even if they choose not to opt-in to the Carroll Alert system, they may still receive emergency messages through the traditional emergency notification system and the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS)/Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) IPAWS/WEA system. This is the system typically used for notifications such as Amber Alerts and Presidential Alerts.  Modern cell phones are generally capable of receiving such messages.

Several online sources providing good emergency preparedness information include:

  1. Maryland Department of Emergency Management (MDEM): http://mdem.maryland.gov
  2. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA): http://www.ready.gov

Additional information can also be found in the Are You Ready? Citizen’s Guide to Emergency Preparedness, and on the Carroll County Emergency Management website. Residents are also encouraged to sign up for the Prepare Me Carroll App.