CodeRED is shutting down June 30, and AlertAlachua will become the primary emergency notification system for Alachua County.
Jeffery Bielling, the assistant director of Alachua County Emergency Management, said the switch was made because the Florida Division of Emergency Management offered it at no cost.
“That saved us $45,000 a year,” he said.
John Shaw, the director of Alachua County Emergency Management, said AlertAlachua is also more user-friendly. He said subscribers can customize what alerts they receive and prioritize how they receive them.
AlertAlachua provides the option to receive missing person alerts, boil notice orders and 22 different weather alerts. It provides the option to receive these alerts via email, text message, phone call, TTY (a text telephone) or the ContactBridge app.
The app also provides messages and a map, which shows every alert in the U.S.
Residents of Alachua County are encouraged to sign up for AlertAlachua because of the severe weather alerts and targeted location warnings, Bielling said.
Students, especially those who live off-campus, are also encouraged to sign up, even though UF has its own alert system.
“UF Alert is designed for university facilities, but AlertAlachua is designed for the entire community,” said Kenneth Allen, the director of UF Emergency Management. “It is important to have a way and a method to be notified when an alert is sent out.”
