County residents urged to sign up for CodeRED

Perkins County residents can again receive weather and emergency alerts on their land lines and cell phones by signing up for CodeRED.

Sheriff Jim Brueggeman, who also serves as the county’s emergency manager, urged people to sign up for the service. 

He said the county used CodeRED in the past but utilized two other systems after the county contracted dispatching services to Keith County. 

 Now that the communications center has been reopened in Perkins County, CodeRED will be used for the alert system. 

Even if people were signed up for the Alert Sense or Rave Alert ™ systems, they must re-register. Previous information cannot be transferred in CodeRED.

Brueggeman said all land lines in the county have already been added to the system. This will allow land lines to receive emergency alerts without re-registering. 

However, if people on land lines want weather alerts through CodeREd, they must register. 

Cellular phone numbers are not present in the system’s database. Until cell phone owners register, they will not receive either of the alerts.

The most popular feature of CodeRED is their weather alerts. In the event of severe weather in the area, people on the system will receive their choice of a text or phone call, informing them of the severe weather situation. 

Brueggeman said the system can also provide emergency alerts, such as a missing child, evacuations or lockdowns if a dangerous suspect is at large.

People can sign up online, (https://public.coderedweb.com/CNE/BFA3A07AD3FB); by text (Text PERKINSCODERED to 99411), or by visiting or calling the sheriff’s office at 308-352-7501.

Severe Weather Week

March 21-25 marks Severe Weather Awareness Week in Nebraska, which serves as a good reminder for citizens and businesses to sign up for CodeRED, Brueggeman said. 

The statewide tornado drill will be held at 10 a.m. MT. Sirens in Grant, Venango, Madrid and Elsie will sound a three-minute tornado warning alert at that time. 

A tornado warning alert is a continuous solid tone, compared to the fire siren which is an alternating high/low tone.

He said the drill is a reminder for families to have a plan of action in case of a tornado warning and practice before an actual situation occurs. That includes designating an emergency meeting place.

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