Get Baltimore County Emergency Alerts Through Your Phone

With the changeover from winter to spring comes an increased risk of weather-related emergencies like flooding and tornadoes.

To help keep people informed the Baltimore County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management gives residents the ability to receive alerts about weather and any other time-sensitive emergencies on their cell phones, according to a news release sent by police and fire spokeswoman Elise Armacost.

To learn more about the Emergency Notification System and to sign up for cell phone alerts, visit the county website.

"ENS enhances emergency preparedness by notifying citizens and businesses of emergency situations that may require time-sensitive protective actions," Armacost wrote. "The system sends a recorded message and /or e-mail to Baltimore County homes and businesses, providing safety information and/or instructions."

Since coming online in 2007 the Emergency Notification System has been used to quickly disseminate information about dangerous weather, hazardous materials spills, power outages and other emergencies the release states.

For those with an interest in local emergency management, a meeting is also being held on Tuesday.

The Local Emergency Planning Comittee meets at 9 a.m. March 26 at the Brooklandville Fire Station, 10017 Falls Road, according to a news release from the county.

The meeting, which is open to the public, will last about one hour.

The planning committee, which is made up of community and business leaders,  local fire, police, EMS and emergency management responders, meets to develop and review contingency and evacuation plans for emergencies involving hazardous materials, including weather disasters, industrial/transportation accidents and terrorist attacks, the release states.

Have you signed up to get alerts from the Emergency Notification System? Tell us in the comments.