The Santa Barbara County Civil Grand Jury’s most recent report couldn’t possibly have been more timely.
The panel has spent months investigating the county’s emergency alert system, more commonly known as “reverse 9-1-1,” a process that allows officials to notify citizens of potential and impending emergencies.
The heart of the panel’s recommendations is that local media be included in the alert protocol, so those media outlets can, in turn, keep readers, listeners and viewers up to date on whatever event caused the alert.
The report came out about the time the 9.0 earthquake devastated Japan, an event that underlines the importance of regular citizens being kept in the information loop.
Quakes aren’t the only disasters that hound Californians. Tsunamis, wildfires, mudslides — you name it, we’ve got it.
Being part of the reverse 9-1-1 network has proven lifesaving potential, and everyone needs to sign on. County officials
recommend more county residents register their cell phone numbers, thus increasing the system’s overall efficiency.
Good advice, and well worth the few minutes it takes to get your key contact numbers added to the alert system. It’s the kind of thing that can, and does save lives.
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