“You may be in Sumiton, but this will let you know what’s going on at your house in Carbon Hill,” said Regina Myers, assistant director of Walker County EMA.
Huntsville-based Baron Services is responsible for SAF-T-Net, which is available for free to Alabama residents. Message and data rates apply.
SAF-T-Net subscribers can enter up to four locations for which they would like to receive updates on storm-based warnings issued by the National Weather Service.
Since storm-based, or “polygon,” warnings focus on the expected path of storms, subscribers will only be notified when severe weather is approaching one or more of the locations they have selected.
Radar images may be included in some of the e-mails or texts.
Local EMA officials will also have the capability to send customized messages with specific information or safety instructions through SAF-T-Net.
Myers encouraged all Walker County residents to sign up for the new service.
“We don’t want anybody relying on outdoor warning systems, and we know sometimes we’re going to face power outages or the satellite will go out due to a storm. Now we have this beneficial extra back-up to let people know what’s coming so they can stay safe,” Myers said.
For more information, visit http://saftnet2.baronservices.com/alabama.