In an effort to improve communication in counties during serious emergencies, the state is releasing a new system this summer.
“OR-Alert” can be activated by local and state emergency officials, to notify residents of a disaster and any evacuation notices quickly.
The new system was introduced a month after devastating fires blanketed much of Oregon last September. Following the Almeda Fire, local residents reported not receiving an emergency alert notification from Jackson County.
It was later determined that Jackson County chose not to send out a mass county-wide alert, but instead used “citizen-alert” through Everbridge.
The alert only went out to a limited number of people with landlines or subscribed to it in advance.