Cape May County to Test Reverse 911 System

Cape May County will preform its annual test of the Code Red system on June 2 between 10 A.M. and Noon. The program is a Reverse 911 system to notify residents in the event of a major storm or disaster. There are more than 140,000 contacts that have signed up for the system between phone calls, text messages, and emails.

The Code Red system is used by County officials in the event that an evacuation is required prior to a major storm event.

"The test has always worked well, but we never take a chance when it comes to emergency preparedness, so we want to preform the test every year to make sure everything is working the way it should," said Marty Pagliughi, the Director of the Office of Emergency Management. "Testing the system now ensures everything is in place in the event we need to use it one day."

An ad campaign will take place along with a public awareness campaign to ensure that residents know this is a test and there should be no concern that there is a real emergency when the test happens. The message will make it clear that a test is being conducted and no actual emergency is taking place.

"We hope we never have a major storm event again, but we know it could happen at any time," said Cape May County Commissioner Director Gerald M. Thornton, who is the liaison to the Office of Emergency Management. "Our OEM team is always working to make sure that if that day comes, we are as prepared as possible to ensure information is distributed and residents are protected as quickly as possible."

If residents or visitors want to self-register for Code Red alerts, they can do so on the emergency management website for Cape May County at capemaycountynj.gov/149/Emergency-Management. The system will accept home numbers, cell phone numbers, and email addresses. Just follow the directions on the page to Sign up for Cape May County Emergency Alert System CodeRed or Download the Mobile Alert App.