Posted by Noel Huelsenbeck on Wed, Oct 24, 2007 @ 09:10 PM
The one bright spot during
the firestorm here in San Diego was the Reverse 911 system that the County
of San
Diego and Sheriffs department had implemented
in 2005 and which the City of San
Diego had implemented weeks
earlier. Those systems combined to put warning or evacuation calls out to
594,711 households during the wildfires, including one to our home. Many of the
most important calls were made at 4am on Monday morning to Rancho Bernardo and Poway.
I listened to many people being interviewed on the local news say that this
system saved their families lives.
One limitation
of the Reverse 911 system is the database only contains land line phone
numbers. If you’re one of the many individuals today who have opted not to have
a home phone line and instead use a mobile or VoIP phone you can register that
phone number to your home address by using this City of San
Diego form.
The Reverse 911 system is
also used in other areas of the country so if you don’t have a home phone line
check with your local officials to determine if they use a Reverse 911 system
and how to register your mobile or VoIP phone number to your home address. It
just might save your life.