Update For CodeRed Alert System: Different Databases For Different Alerts May Prevent You From Receiving Alerts

Darren Doyle, story
Earlier today, we received a letter to the editor from a county resident who respectfully shared his thoughts on the need for improvement to the Edmonson County Water District's process in alerting the public on boil water advisories.

The letter said that there was a recent advisory in the Cave Hollow Bay/Nolin Dam area, but not all residents received alert calls, even those who were certain they had signed up for the free service of alerts.

We spoke with Edmonson County Water today and they advised us that when a boil water advisory is in effect, they notify the CodeRed "one call" system immediately and then CodeRed issues the alerts. 

We received a call from Edmonson County Emergency Management Pat Prunty who wished to clarify how the system works. One of the main public misconceptions is that if you sign up for weather alerts through CodeRed, you will also receive water advisories and local school announcements; however, this is incorrect.

"We have three different types of CodeRed alerts in Edmonson County, with each one having its own unique database," Prunty said. "We have boil water alerts, school closings and announcements from Edmonson County schools, and we also have severe weather alerts, but each one has its own database and you must sign up separately for all three if you choose to get all the alerts. Just because you're signed up for one doesn't automatically sign you up for another one."

Prunty also said that Edmonson County Dispatch does not have information on boil water advisories unless it's a severe county-wide emergency.

The Water Department said in order to assure that you will receive the alerts in the event of a boil water advisory in your area, make sure your contact information is up-to-date by calling their office at 270-597-2165. This applies to water advisories only.

If you wish to receive weather and emergency alerts, you can sign up by clicking here for the county's CodeRed emergency alert system.

Finally, if you wish to recieve calls pertaining to school information, make sure your contact info is updated with the individual schools for which you're requesting. ECHS: 270-597-2151, ECMS: 270-597-2932, EC 5/6 Center: 270-597-3900, South Edmonson: 270-597-2379, and Kyrock Elementary: 270-286-4013.

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